Stimuli
by Uriel Falcon
Summary: You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli. He told her to get a distraction. He never said it had to be legal. Chapter eighteen up after long hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal.  
WARNING: This story contains Graphic Femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff!

Author: Uriel Falcon

**"_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

Sara's eyes scanned the streets as she drove, the rain pounding down quite hard on the hood of her old school Corvette, the blue paint seeming to be a dreary grey in the depressing weather. This was her way home every night. Hookers and prostitutes lined her street, considering it was little more than a large alley between apartments. They were huddled in the door crevices, just trying to keep warm. She kept her eyes straight ahead, and turned down her high beams so that she wouldn't blind anybody.

She always felt a wave of sympathy for the girls who had no choice of what they were. Sometimes, life just didn't hand you any good cards, but you had to play with what you were dealt. And there was nothing that the CSI could really do to help. Finally, she pulled past them into the parking lot, and locked up her car in a special surveillance area. She deserved to finally relax after a long day on the job.

For one, she had been processing for hours on Grissom's request. It was a typical arson case, but he made her go over EVERY piece of evidence that even looked like it was involved. The teen had confessed hours ago, but Grissom still insisted that she work on it. He was still trying to judge if she was a drunkard or just plain careless. After years of learning little tiny pieces of her, he thought he could simply control the main aspect of her life, thinking it would save her from her depressing life.

The main thing that pissed her off was his blatant audacity in the matter. How did Grissom know she had a shitty life? Hell, she could be out with friends that he never met, partying with strippers and getting laid every off shift for all he knew! But alas, she wasn't anything like that. She was much more reserved, but she was comfortable in her life. She had come to terms with her solitary lifestyle, why hadn't anyone else?

She walked up four flights of stairs before she reached her apartment, which had a window view and was slightly larger than the other apartments. She opened up good old number 89, and walked in, tossing her keys onto the kitchen table. She closed the door behind her, and flopped onto the couch after kicking off her muddy boots.

She looked around her apartment, feeling the heaviness of the day weigh down on her eyes. Her electric guitar gleamed in the corner in front of her amplifier, the red making her smile. Her CD racks lined the walls, her speakers placed around the room in strategic areas. Her home was filled with little mementos of her life, like the walls painted to resemble a chess board. Her curtains were drawn, to keep out prying eyes, even though she was four flights up. The balcony door was locked, the plants outside being 'watered' by nature.

Her medium length, deep chestnut hair was kept in a neat ponytail, with a few tufts sticking out in front of her ears. She wore dark blue jeans and a red boy beater top, her midnight blue overcoat already slung on the coat hanger. She didn't even feel like changing right now, even though she was considerably soaked from the short run to her building.

Sara thought back about the day she had, and remembered Grissom's main words to her. _You need to find a distraction..._ Distraction, huh? She had plenty of distractions. She could do something if she wanted to. She didn't _NEED _anything. She'd find something to tell him, to get him off of her back. But not now. She listened to the rain, closing her eyes for what she thought was a moment, and drifted off into a deep sleep, completely oblivious to the crack of lightning and the heavy thunder.

* * *

"Excuse me, may I please use your-" 

"No! Get away, you filth! Use the streets!" Slam. Crystal sighed, and turned away from the 88th door she had tried that night. She just needed to use the bathroom, but it seemed that when you're in a hooker's uniform, getting to use the bathroom is just too trying for people. And they seemed to be getting increasingly ruder to her. Hey, it wasn't her fault she was like this! She was trying to get a job, a decent one! But when you don't live in a house... You can't really get phone calls, can you?

Crystal continued down the hallway, her black boots clinking heavily and squeaking with rainwater. Her high leather skirt and panty-hose protected little against the cold, and her black tank top was soaked. Her long, blond hair was about the most protective thing she had, and it wasn't working very well. She knocked on door number 89, and waited silently in her own sadness.

* * *

Sara snapped awake, leaping over the couch with her gun in hand by instinct. She looked around, and saw no disturbance. She tucked her gun back in her side holster, and walked to the door. She gazed through the peep-hole, and saw a hooker looking down at her feet. She was soaked to the bone and looking depressed. Sara unlocked the door and opened it. 

"What seems to be the trouble?" Sara asked, watching as the girl snapped out of whatever reverie she was in. She looked very nervous, and slightly shy. She was twiddling her fingers slightly.

"Sorry to bother you miss, but may I please use your bathroom?" She asked quietly, feeling different around this person. The woman before her had a powerful aura of comfort and strength, and it made Crystal feel safe, for whatever reason. But there was no chance she could know or remember exactly why, as she couldn't remember anything before the streets. Sara blinked, slightly confused at why the girl would travel up so many stairs just to knock on her door. She leaned against the door frame, gazing down at Crystal.

"How many doors did you knock on?" She asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. Crystal blinked, clearing her mind. The deep, husky voice of the woman was reverberating through her sternum, warming her heart. But this was no time to be thinking of how attractive and charismatic this woman currently was, considering it was probably just courtesy. Crystal eyed the gun on the woman's hip, and felt a shiver fly up her spine. _God, please don't let this lady be a violent creep..._

"88, not including this one or the front desk." Sara blinked wide again, bemusement turning quickly into astonishment. _Geez, I didn't know my neighbour's were THAT big of pricks..._ Sara thought.

"Sure, go ahead. Just down the hallway, you'll see it." Crystal nodded thankfully, pulling off her boots as fast as she could without making a fool of herself, placing them on the small mat. She turned down the hallway, moving quickly towards Sara's neatly kept bathroom. Sara heard the door click shut, and laughed quietly. _That was quite quick... She doesn't really seem like the run of the mill hookers that are around here..._ Sara mused as she dug deep into her fridge, searching around. Finally, she emerged with two bottles of beer. Crystal came back from the bathroom, looking around as to see where Sara went.

"Um, Miss?" She called from the living room, looking around like a lost puppy. Sara laughed from the kitchen, standing up from her crouching position behind the kitchen counter.

"Over here, and call me Sara.. Do you want a beer?" Crystal smiled shyly, and walked into the little kitchen. Sara was a few inches taller than she was, and now that Crystal saw her in the light, she looked friendlier than before. Her high cheekbones and deep, emotional eyes were her main features, along with a gap between her two front teeth.

"Um, sure, thank you. My name's Crystal..." Crystal replied quietly, still not sure of being in the apartment. It was the safest and most comfortable place she had ever been welcomed in. Sara turned around, and handed Crystal a beer after popping the top of with her thumb (a neat party trick she learned a while back). Crystal followed Sara to the couch, where they sat down on the black leather. Sara took a gulp of her drink, and then pulled out a sketchbook from under the coffee table. She began moving her pencil across the page.

"I haven't seen you around here before. How long have you been working the streets?" Crystal placed her drink down on a coaster after having a small sip, and put her fingers together in a motion to think.

"Well, I don't really remember... Less than a few months. They say they found me lying on the road with glass in the side of my head. I don't remember anything before the streets... I don't even know my own age." Crystal explained, taking another sip of her drink. The only sounds in the room were breathing, the rain, and the scratching of the pencil.

"You should have reported it, we would have investigated. At least, I would have." Sara answered, looking up for a minute at Crystal, studying her face. Crystal's face still held a certain roundness to it, so she must have been between eighteen and twenty-five years old. Her eyes were a deep blue with a hazy grey outline. Her complexion was soft and smooth, a light cream in colour. Her cheekbones weren't too high, and her hair was let long, looking dulled from the rain. She was slightly dirty, and probably hadn't had a shower or a decent meal in a while.

"I couldn't, really. I didn't know what was going on. Now I'm stuck doing what I do, with no home, no friends and no money. I'd get out of this all if I could, but when you don't live at an address, it's hard to get phone calls or letters back from employers." Crystal explained, taking another swig of her beer. Sara finished her quick sketch, tossing it back underneath the table. She took a drink of her beer, still watching the fairly quiet Crystal. She was gazing around the room, her large doe eyes seeming to take everything in.

"Where are you staying tonight?" Sara asked, leaning casually against the back of the couch, her arm on the top, almost over Crystal's shoulders. Crystal felt her toes beginning to warm up, wiggling them slightly. She felt a blush rise to her face, feeling Sara's arm almost radiating behind her. She looked at Sara, admiring the face belonging to the deep, husky voice.

"Um, a couple blocks down, behind the convenience store. There's a little bit of an overhang there, between the alley and the store. I should really get going, I'm intruding your space. Thank you very much-"

"Nonsense, you're not intruding anything. And I'm not going to let you stay out in weather like this. You're welcome to stay here, you can take a shower, borrow some of my clothing. We'll get you cleaned up. Unless you want to go back out in the rain..." Sara offered, interrupting Crystal before she managed to excuse herself. Crystal looked straight into Sara's eyes, trying to judge if she was really sincere about her offer. Crystal only saw compassion, and felt herself break into a large smile, her eyes beginning to tear up.

"Really? Thank you so much!" Crystal cried, throwing herself into Sara's arms in an enthusiastic hug. Sara felt herself grin, hugging Crystal back.

"Really, it's no problem. Now, let's get you out of those wet clothes, you're going to catch a terrible cold. Here, I'll get you some loose clothing, I'll be back." Sara stated, standing up, and going into her room. Crystal stood up as well, and walked towards the bathroom, stepping inside. Sara came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Crystal felt her knees buckle slightly under the heat. She looked up, taking the clothing that Sara handed to her.

"I'll come in later and grab the wet stuff. Feel free to use whatever you'd like." Sara gave Crystal a friendly smile, and walked out, closing the door. Crystal let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. This had to be a dream. Finally, a chance to escape this stupid life, and move on to something better.

How was she going to thank Sara?

* * *

Sara seated herself back down on the couch, stretching out languidly. She had no idea what had compelled her to offer her home to this girl, but now that she had, there was a chance she could help Crystal. Maybe this sparked the beginning of something to distract her from her job. And it was something Grissom couldn't put a halter on. She would help Crystal, somehow. 

When Sara heard the water click on for a few minutes, she walked into the bathroom, grabbing Crystal's soaking wet clothing. She tossed them into the dryer, knowing she would start it later. She walked back to the couch, and flopped down, feeling her eyelids droop again. She closed her eyes completely, falling into another nap.

* * *

Crystal padded out of the bathroom, feeling better than she had in months. She wore some slightly large sweatpants and a tank top, both a light blue in colour. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she smelled of strawberries. Crystal walked into the living room, and spotted Sara lying on the couch, snoring softly. Crystal reached out, letting her palm glide over Sara's cheek. Sara's eyes opened, looking up at Crystal. 

"Hey. Feeling better?" Sara asked, sitting up slightly. Her voice was deeper than normal, and slightly raspy from just waking up. Crystal felt her heart flutter, her body feeling slightly electrified. She nodded, and sat down on the edge of the couch beside Sara.

"Yes, thank you so much. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for your kindness." She whispered. Sara grinned, waving it off.

"Ah, no biggie. Anyway, you get some sleep. Take the bed in the end room, left side. I'll wake you up before I have to go to work tomorrow. I might be able to find you're old family, if you had any." Sara pointed down the hallway. Crystal looked back to Sara.

"I couldn't take your bed, I can sleep on the couch, it's no trouble at all." Sara waved her off once again.

"Nonsense, I insist. I'm good on the couch. You need a better sleep. Now, no more discussion on this. Have a good sleep, Crystal." Sara forced, her voice demanding the end of the conversation. Crystal nodded.

"Alright, thank you. Goodnight, Sara."

* * *

Slow start, I know. But Review anyway... You know ya wannnna... 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal.  
**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

Morning light shone through the large living room window, casting a golden glow about the calming room. Birds chirped their loving tune outside, and the balcony gleamed with dew. The sound of driving vehicles was heard faintly through the glass, the sun bright and inviting-

Right into Sara's eyes, effectively pissing her off enough to roll over onto the floor.

Sara landed with a thump, grumbling to herself about the cracks in the blinds. She pushed herself off of the floor, stretching lethargically. She looked over to her hanging clock high above her desk. It read 8:30 am, hours before she even had to think of going in for work.

Sara sighed, knowing that there was no way she was getting back to sleep with the light. She stumbled quietly to her room, opening the door with her hand, barely looking where she was going, as she knew it from memory. She slumped down onto her bed and buried her head into her pillow, sighing at the feeling of fresh sheets and the scent of strawberries and ocean sand.

Wait. Hold up. Ocean sand?

Sara mentally reviewed yesterday, keeping her eyes closed. When she landed at the part where she told Crystal to go sleep in her bed, her eyes popped open wide and she checked over her shoulder. Sure enough, there was Crystal, her mane of blonde hair spread out over a pillow, completely oblivious to the world around her. Sara flopped her head back down on her pillow, thinking that she should really be getting up soon.

Of course, her inner Sara wasn't really co-operating. She was whining that it was too bloody early, and that this was HER bed in the first place. The sensible side of Sara took another whiff of her pillow, and gave into inner Sara, closing her eyes, and falling back asleep. She ended up rolling onto her back, snoring softly.

When Sara awoke again, she felt almost intoxicated by the scent of ocean sand and strawberries. She felt something tucked into her shoulder, something else slung across her waist and curled around her side. Under her right arm and hand, she could feel something warm and breathing. Sara opened her eyes, and looked down. Crystal was curled up in her arms, her head resting on her shoulder and chest, sleeping soundly. Sara closed her eyes, desperately trying to sort this out in her head.

Okay, so the sorting out wasn't going as well as she'd planned. All of her coherent thoughts seemed to end with 'That smells nice' or 'Geez her hair is soft'. Sara looked over to her digital clock. In bright red numbers, it read 3:50. Holy Shit. She had slept a combined amount of nine hours and twenty minutes. She hadn't slept more than three hours at a time at any point in the last four months. What had changed to enable her to overcome the horrible nightmares and sleep peacefully? She hadn't been drinking last night, and she hadn't smoked up in a while. What could have...

Crystal.

Sara grinned to herself. This wasn't her original plan, but it was working fine anyhow. She had simply wanted to reach out, to help Crystal like no one had ever helped her. Waking up with the beautiful, unassuming blonde strewn across her body was a nice little party favor. And that scent was to die for. But alas, she had to move. She had to get ready for shift, which started in two hours.

"Crystal? Crystal, I have to get up for work now. We'll have breakfast once I get out of the shower, okay?" Sara spoke softly. Crystal's eyes eventually slid open, and looked up.

"Mmhm..." She mumbled, slowly extracting herself from atop Sara's lithe body. Sara sat up, once again stretching like a cat. Crystal yawned loudly, her eyes half lidded and a goofy grin on her face.

"I can't remember a time I've slept that well..." She stated, putting her feet on the floor. Sara smiled.

"Me neither... Here, you can check my drawers to find some clothes for today. I'll take you shopping tomorrow, but first, food. I'll see you in a bit." Sara replied, standing up. After grabbing the clothing that she was going to wear to work, she walked into the bathroom, ready for a good wake up shower.

She walked out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later wearing a pair of dark black jeans and a black muscle t-shirt. The jeans hugged her figure quite nicely, and covered the top half of her army boots when she put them on. Sara rounded the corner, and spotted Crystal busying herself over the stove. She appeared to be making some sort of omelette, and Sara smelt the scent of peppers, immediately grinning. She loved peppers.

What made her grin more was what Crystal was wearing. She had on a pair of Sara's black slacks that hit the ground near her heels. The slacks framed her very fine looking rear end. Crystal wore one of Sara's button up white blouses, the first two buttons left open. Her sleeves were rolled up to avoid getting them in egg. Her hair was swept into a half bun, half ponytail. Sara leaned against the hallway entrance, smiling to herself.

"Smells great." She spoke out finally. Crystal flipped the omelette, and turned to Sara, giving her a cute and slightly shy smile.

"I decided that I should start repaying you by at least making breakfast. From what you had I figured you must be a vegetarian, so I added some peppers I found. I hope you like it..." Crystal explained, almost rambling. Sara walked over and grabbed some plates, casually leaning over Crystal to grab them. She put the plates down beside Crystal, giving her shoulder a calming stroke.

"I love omelettes. I'll remind myself later to go out and get some groceries. I haven't gone shopping in so long because of my shifts." Sara explained, leaning against the counter. Crystal plopped the omelettes onto the plates, and quickly turned off the stove. They grabbed their plates, and sat down in the living room. Sara took the first bite, and immediately moaned in appreciation.

"Heaven, that's what this is. MM!" She exclaimed, before diving in again. Crystal smiled, and also devoured her meal. She didn't realize how hungry she really was until she took the first bite. When they had finally finished, Sara leaned back, and grinned wide. Crystal giggled at the aloof expression on Sara's face.

"I take it you enjoyed that?" She asked, grabbing their plates, and popping them into the dishwasher. Sara nodded, still grinning.

"Oh yeah. But I have to go to work now... Hey, why don't you come with me? I can check the missing person reports if I get a chance. I don't think my boss would mind. You might get a little bored, but we can take you shopping right away after I'm done my shift. What do you say?" Sara offered. Crystal smiled, but then looked slightly sad.

"That'd be great, but I don't have a last name. And I don't know yours, either... What is your job, anyway?" She asked, sitting back down on the couch. Sara laughed at herself.

"Right, I forgot about that. We'll make you a last name. I'm Sara Sidle, I work at the LVPD Crime lab. I'm a forensic scientist. In other words, I'm a science nerd getting paid to notice things. As for your last name... How about Crystal Rawn?" Sara offered, standing up and walking towards the door. Crystal shrugged.

"That sounds okay." She replied, pulling on her boots. The heel was fairly thick, not pointed, so it could easily be hidden that the boots went high up her calves. She straightened out the slacks so that they hid her boots. They hung quite nicely, now that she had a little height to her. She still wasn't as tall as Sara, though.

"Great, let's get going then." She stated, opening the door. They stepped out after Sara had grabbed her kit, which to Crystal was just a very shiny tool box of some sort, and had locked the door. After lumbering down four flights of stairs, Sara led them to her Corvette, throwing her stuff in the trunk, and hopping into the car. Crystal took in the scent around her in the car. It was slightly musky, but with that ever elusive hint of lavender. Sara started up the engine, and they swiftly drove out into the main road, passing by many women on the streets.

"Thank you so much, Sara. For everything." Crystal spoke, looking over to Sara. Sara smiled, feeling her ears tinge red.

"No problem." She answered, turning another corner. Crystal giggled, but kept any comments about the cute blush to herself.

"So, what exactly am I in for?" Crystal asked as they stopped at a red light. Sara shrugged, thinking it over a bit.

"Well, I might as well just tell you who is most likely going to be there. My boss, Gil Grissom, is a little bit eccentric. His office is loaded with bugs, mostly tropical or weird looking. Very intelligent, but a little socially inept, sort of like I am. He's got a fuzzy grey beard, and blue eyes. All in all, a very nice guy.

Then there's Warrick Brown, I work with him from time to time. He's a bit of a sweet talker, once again another nice guy. He's tall, dark skin, and beautiful eyes. Loves sports and gambling. Well, not so much gambling any more, but he's very good at guessing odds.

His buddy's name is Nick Stokes, I work with him, too. He's got this Texan drawl he likes to use on the ladies, very kind hearted. Straight arrow guy, willing to help if he can. Both Warrick and Nick are kind of like my older brothers.

Then there's Greg Sanders, my little brother fellow. He's the funny guy, likes to listen to rock music. He's still sort of new at being a CSI, but he's always willing to learn. Spikey blond hair, always has a grin on his face. You'll like him.

Sofia Curtis is one of our leading detectives. At first I was really off with her presence, but since then we've actually become pretty good friends. She's an extremely intelligent, and vigilant person, she's good at what she does. When we're off on the same days, we go out for drinks, or to movies. She's got long blonde hair, blue eyes, and has a British accent.

Captain Jim Brass is the father figure with a pissy streak. He's very protective of us, but if you do something outside protocol, he'll call you on it, and send your ass packing. He'll probably end up trying to interrogate you, but don't sweat it.

Ecklie is to be avoided at ALL COSTS. He's semi bald, looks like a weasel, same with Hodges. Don't worry, I'll point them out when we get there. Ecklie always tries to get me fired and Hodges is a rumour mill. Neither of them is well liked.

And then there's Catherine Willows... She's probably one of the most powerful people at CSI. She's been there for a long time. She's got strawberry blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. One minute she's being nice, the next she's chewing the hell out of you. Mood swings GALORE. I'm sure you won't have any difficulty with her..."

Crystal took in the information, already picturing the people she was describing. And if Sara didn't like Ecklie or Hodges, then neither would she.

"Alright, thanks Sara. Wait, what do I say about my job?" Crystal became worried, not wanting to embarrass Sara in any way. Sara thought for a moment.

"Say you worked with me overseas, in the A285 unit. If they ask anything after that, say that unfortunately the details are classified. Remember, A285, classified. Okay?" Crystal nodded, repeating it over and over again in her mind.

"You are a master puppeteer, Sara." She stated, smiling at Sara. Sara shrugged, her ears once again going a little bit red.

"Well, I do try... Anyway, here we are." Sara stated, shutting down the engine after parking. Crystal stepped out, making sure she looked presentable. Sara locked her car, and placed her hand on the small of Crystal's back, leading her towards the door. When they walked in, Crystal's hand found the side of Sara's jacket, clinging to it like a small child. Sara gave her a little back rub, and a soft smile. Crystal relaxed slightly.

Sara led her to the main desk, where she filled out some forms for a day pass. A quick photo, and Crystal was cleared to be in the lab. Sara led her to the break room, where as usual, she was the first one in. She skipped coffee, after already having some this morning. They sat down on the couch, Sara busy explaining some of the details of her job.

About fifteen minutes later, Catherine walked in.

HA! CLIFFY!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal.  
**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story.

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

Crystal studied Catherine as she entered, almost immediately guessing who the woman was from Sara's earlier description. Catherine walked with an air of confidence and power that only she could posses in the office. Crystal felt herself shrink as Catherine eyed her suspiciously. Sara gave Catherine the 'don't ask, none of your business' look.

"Morning, Sara." Was her simple greeting. Sara gave a small wave.

"Morning." Sara replied, flashing a soft smile. She turned back towards Crystal, giving her a reassuring smile. Crystal immediately relaxed, grinning back at Sara with her lovely white teeth. Meanwhile, Catherine was studying them from her place at the coffee machine, observing the soft reassurance that Sara was offering.

Sara began speaking of what her job entailed, seeming to captivate the other woman with her smooth words. Catherine almost chuckled. _That girl is in love, and I don't even think Sara notices... Who is that girl, anyway? She looks so young... _Catherine thought to herself, filling up her mug with steaming hot coffee.

Nick and Warrick soon entered the break room, joking around about the latest football play. Sara waved them a good morning, then returned to talking to Crystal. Nick stopped, and offered a friendly smile to Crystal.

"Hey Sara, who's your friend?" Nick asked, walking to stand in front of the two ladies. Sara smiled.

"Nick, this is Crystal Rawn. Crystal, this is Nick Stokes, we work together from time to time." Sara introduced. Crystal shook Nick's hand, offering him a shy hello. Nick smiled.

"Nice to meet you." Nick offered, before leaping to the other couch and snatching up a video game controller from beside Warrick. Catherine sat down casually on the large arm chair, crossing her legs and sipping at her coffee. Sofia and Greg walked in, chatting amicably about some heavy metal band or another. Sofia spotted Sara, giving her a much warmer greeting than she had received from any other member of their team.

"Greets, grins and coffee, Sara!" Sofia exclaimed, clapping hands with Sara before slumping down beside her on the couch. Sara laughed.

"Coffee? More like county sludge until Greggo shows up. Sofia, this is Crystal. Crystal, this is Sofia Curtis." Sofia shook Crystal's hand, giving her a friendly grin.

"A friend of my friend is my friend, in this case. Just visiting the lab for today?" Sofia asked, her good mood becoming very contagious.

"Yes, just for today. I was interested in knowing what kind of things Sara did, it all sounding very intriguing." Crystal explained. All in all, it wasn't really a lie. She really did want to know the entrails of what Sara did. Intelligence was one of the things she was attracted to.

"Ah, she's nothing but a big kid let loose in a chemistry store. Maybe before shift ends we'll blow something up." Crystal's eyes widened, and she soon found herself grinning.

"Sweet." Sara chuckled at the easy interaction between her best friend and her new friend.

"You guys think way too much alike, you're starting to scare me. Hey, where's Grissom? It's odd that he's so late getting out assignments..." Sara mentioned, crossing her legs and stretching her arms out on the top of the couch, behind both Crystal and Sofia, who looked very similar in appearance. Grissom walked into the room in a bit of a fit, slamming his folder on the table.

"Listen up, this is a heavy night. Nick and Warrick, DB in the 'burbs. Catherine, solo B & E in Henderson. Sofia, you are going with Sara as the leading officer, but I need you to help her with evidence collection. DB in the desert. Greg, you're on DNA duty, we're so backed up it's unreal. I'll make it up to you later... Well, what are you all waiting for, get going!" Grissom barked out. Sara squeezed Crystal's shoulder.

"Stick with Greg, he'll take care of you tonight." Sara stated, quickly grabbing the assignment sheet. After a quick whisper to Greg, she was off with Sofia. As the CSIs dispatched, Greg walked over to Crystal, offering her his hand. She took it, still very shy.

"I'm sorry if I'm in your way, but Sara told me I should probably stick near you..." Crystal stated as she stood up, following Greg towards his lab. He waved it off.

"It's no problem at all, I like the company. Grissom still won't let me out on the big cases, puts me in the lab again. Kind of bugs me, you know? Oh yeah, I'm Greg, by the way. Crystal, right?" Greg smiled, sitting down at his desk. Crystal sat in a chair close by, nodding.

"Thank you very much, Greg, I appreciate it. So, what exactly do you do? DNA analyst is a little vague..." Crystal asked, watching Greg intently. Greg felt exalted at the chance to show off his hard learned skills.

"Well, you see..." He began, showing Crystal a chart.

Sara sighed, finally setting her kit into the back of the Tahoe. Sofia nodded in agreement.

"God, this has been a long day... Let's get back, this is an open-shut case, and we've got all we can off of the body." Sara immediately agreed to Sofia's idea, and they hopped into the Tahoe, Sofia driving.

"So, you got the hots for Crystal?" She asked casually. Sara huffed a laugh.

"You know, I think I do. Just between you and me, I helped her get off the streets, only met her yesterday. There's something about her, Sofia. I don't know what it is, but I'm drawn to it. She doesn't remember who she is, has a bad case of amnesia. I'm going to search through the missing person files, see if anything matches her description, or if there's a picture... But I think that once I give her life back, she'll leave me. I shouldn't be possessive, I know, but I really want her." Sara explained, staring out the window as they drove. Sofia smiled softly.

"Sis, when you fall, you fall hard. I think she likes you, too. Didn't you notice the way she watched you intently as you spoke? Or how she seemed to hang off every word you said?" Sofia reassured, giving Sara a sly grin. Sara felt her ears begin to burn.

"I guess I didn't really notice that... But what if she remembers everything and wants nothing to do with me? I... Sofia, I don't want to lose this opportunity. Ever since Catherine started to date Chris, I vowed I would find love for myself. Crystal draws me to her. She's not overpowering, she's beautiful, she's sweet, she smells great. Did I mention she's beautiful? She cooks, she's sweet, she-"

"Sara, you're rambling again." Sofia cut her off, laughing lightly. Sara's ears went fire red, and she sighed, nodding.

"Yeah, I guess I am..." Sara whispered, looking out the window again. Sofia smiled again, feeling her good mood returning fast.

"Sara, I say you take the opportunity you have, don't let her slip away. Find out who her family is, if she has any, and find out about who she was. Then ask her if she would like to continue being with you. I bet you that hot car you're hiding in Jack's garage that she says yes." Sofia wagered, finally making it back into the city. Sara grinned.

"And if she says no, I get that bitchin' chopper you've got at your mom's house." Sofia's eyes widened, and she let out a loud curse.

"Dammit, she better say yes! That thing cost me so much money on customization it's not even funny." Sara let out a laugh that originated from the depths of her belly.

"God knows it, friend. I can't believe the shit I do for my baby... Did I tell you about my custom seats that are coming in?" Sofia perked up, shaking her head.

"No, what's the custom part of it?" She asked, eager to know what Sara had done to improve one of her cars.

Both of them shared a common interest in customization, creating amazing vehicles with even greater power. Sara did all of the engine work, while Sofia was the master painter. Anything to do with the interior, such as seat covers or a custom dashboard had to be left to an outside customizer. Both women were hanging around those shops much more, learning about the different parts and how to customize. Soon, they wouldn't need any outside help at all.

"You remember those tribal graphics you designed for that freelance project you did for that Vegas art club? Well, I photo copied the line art part of it, and had it stitched into the leather. It's gonna look SO HOT." Sara explained. Sara loved that design, and most of the other things that Sofia sketched on her free time. Sofia had a gift, and Sara had pushed and pushed to get her recognized for her amazing talent.

"Did you seriously? Wow, that is going to look hot!" Sofia exclaimed, turning into the CSI parking lot. They both got out of the car, grabbed their kits and headed towards the lab. After dropping off everything but the DNA evidence, Sofia and Sara met back on the way to Greg's lab. They heard laughter from inside as they rounded the corner towards the door.

Crystal and Greg were at his drawing board, sketching out advanced chemical compounds. Greg had just cracked some sort of joke, causing Crystal to laugh. For a moment, Sara was entranced by the beautiful sound. Sofia rang the little bell Greg had put on his desk. The sound it made resembled a cow. Greg and Crystal spun around, grins on their faces.

"What are you two doing?" Sara asked, a smile on her face. Greg twiddled his thumbs, giving the best innocent look he could muster.

"Oh, just breaking down the chemical compound of hydrochloric amphetamine..." Greg stated quickly, sitting back down. Crystal smiled sweetly at Sara.

"You guys were gone for a long time. How did your case go?" She asked. Sara beamed at the chance to tell Crystal of her day, while Sofia was dropping off the evidence. The three women made their way back to the break room, flopping onto the couch.

"So I trust Greg took care of you?" Sara asked, her arm once again finding its way around Crystal's shoulders. Crystal nodded, a grin on her face.

"Yeah, we had so much fun. After he analyzed all the samples, he showed me how to create compounds. I remembered most of it from my time in school, so we played games, trying to out do each other, seeing who could remember and create the compound quicker." Crystal recited their day, or rather evening with a large smile on her face.

"Great, I was worried I'd have to kick Greg's ass or something." Sara stated with a grin. Crystal laughed again, relaxing into Sara's hold. Slowly, the entire shift returned back to the break room, filing in and slumping into their respective spots, including a better tempered Grissom. Sofia looked up at the clock, letting out a groan.

"Ugh, we still have an hour before the end of shift..." She complained. Sara closed her eyes.

"For once, I want to get out of here..." Sara stated, resting her cheek atop Crystal's head.

"That's a first, Sidle. Eager to go home? I hope you aren't cutting corners, I would hate to have to fire you for something that could be avoided..." The weasel-like voice of Ecklie broke the peace of the break room. Sara opened her eyes, sending Ecklie a lovely glare. He was currently slinking his eyes over Crystal, making her increasingly more uncomfortable under his lecherous stare. Sara tightened her hold on Crystal, attempting to reassure her.

"I assure you, Ecklie, that I am not cutting corners. You of all people should know of my solve rate." She retaliated, her back rigid stiff. Sofia also sat up, looking like she was ready to eviscerate Ecklie. Grissom was on guard, though he wasn't one to act until necessary. Nick, Warrick and Greg had lost interest in their game, ready to back Sara up if it was needed. Catherine was caught between office politics and defending what was right, so she remained silent.

"Yes, I do realize your incredible solve rate. That's the only reason I haven't forced you out of here already. As you know, personal records are available to me, as I am assistant director. Normally, I would rid myself of threats like you, but because of your incredible luck in solving crimes, I can't. And if I remember correctly, you have no one listed down as family, so this hussy has no right to even be in this building. You're compromising my cases as we speak, Sidle." Sara flew up from her spot from the couch without even thinking, finding herself nose to nose with Ecklie.

"You have n-"

"Sara, please, it's alright. I don't want to cause you any trouble, I'll just leave... I shouldn't have come here, I'm sorry." Crystal cut Sara off with her hand on her shoulder. Sara looked into Crystal's eyes, seeing tears beginning to form.

"No, Crystal, there's nothing to be sorry for, I-" Crystal shook her head, forcing a smile.

"It's okay, Sara. Thank you for all your help. I would love to stay, but I don't want to cause any more trouble for you." She stated before she turned on her heels and walked out. Sara felt her heart drop and her anger flare.

"Sofia, go after her. I have to deal with something." She said in a deadly calm voice. Sofia flew up and ran into the hallway, chasing after Crystal. Sara turned to Ecklie, her eyes burning with anger.

HA! ANOTHER CLIFFY! (evil laughter)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal. I also do not own Pain, by Three Days Grace, or Fire it up, by Black Label Society.

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story.

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

"You had absolutely NO RIGHT to talk to Crystal that way, she has done nothing wrong. She was not in contact with any evidence or incriminating information, and you know that. If you want to constantly be on my case, fine, but this is between us, it has NOTHING to do with Crystal. As for being a hussy, she is a respectable woman, and deserves nothing less from the likes of you. You know my personal record, my files. So help me god, if she is crying... Nothing on that file will even hold a match to the hell I will turn your life into, is that clear?" Sara growled, her eyes growing very dark. Ecklie gulped and nodded. With one last glare, Sara brushed past him, hoping that Sofia had caught Crystal in time.

Meanwhile in the break room, Ecklie was on the receiving end of what seemed like a thousand glares. Grissom took off his glasses and stood up to face Ecklie, his deep blue eyes gleaming brightly.

"Ecklie, you dipped to a new low. I don't want to see you near any of MY investigators for the next month. I could have you fired for harassment. Get out of my sight, you sniveling bucket of monkey scat!" Grissom's voice boomed through the room, and within seconds, Ecklie was gone. Greg slammed his fists on the table.

"Damn him! Crystal is such a nice person, how could he even say such a thing?" Greg exclaimed angrily. Nick put a hand on his shoulder.

"Tell us about her. She was friendly, seemed shy to me." Nick asked. Greg leaned on the table.

"She's sweet, a bit shy at first. She's a little insecure about being at the lab, as she said, she didn't want to cause trouble for Sara. Apparently, Sara got her out from between a rock and a hard place, so to speak. She's incredibly intelligent, I think she might have gone to medical school. She's a fast learner, too. I hope Sofia grabbed her in time, I'd hate to see Crystal leave because of that weasel." Greg answered.

"Let's hope so, because I'd really like to know this Crystal. If she makes Sara happy, then she's making me happy." Warrick stated sincerely. Catherine once again remained silent, thought she was steaming inside. _What a bastard..._

Sara walked down the hallway at a fast pace, searching out Crystal and Sofia. She opened the door to the women's bathroom, finding her query. Crystal's face was buried in Sofia's shoulder as she cried quietly. Sofia stroked her back, attempting to comfort her.

"Crystal, what Ecklie said to you isn't true, and I'm sure everyone is chewing him out as we speak. Sara wanted you here, so she brought you. She doesn't do something unless she truly wants to, kiddo. You have to believe me, she wants you here. Don't care about Ecklie, he's just a stupid, over pompous fuck who likes to piss people off..." Sofia explained, spotting Sara at the door. Sara quickly closed the distance, pulling Crystal from Sofia's shoulder onto her own.

Sofia took the hint and 'buggered off' towards the break room. Sara held Crystal tightly to her, dropping kisses on the top of the blonde's head. Her hands rubbed the younger woman's back, her tears slowly subsiding. Crystal looked up at Sara through tear filled eyes, her face flushed. Sara brushed a stray lock of hair behind the blonde's ear, cupping her face gently with her palm.

"Crystal, Ecklie had no right to say anything to you at all. You're beautiful, you're sweet, kind, you're perfect, Crystal. Don't believe anything that scum says. You're not causing me any problems by being here, no matter what he says. Please... please don't cry...Not over this, not over me, please..." Sara begged, her voice dropping to a whisper. Crystal rested her head underneath Sara's chin, gripping at the taller woman's shirt like it was a lifeline.

"Thank you for everything, Sara. I don't know how I'll ever repay you... You're the only one who's ever stood up for me like that. You make me feel safe... And I think I'm falling in love with you." Crystal admitted, looking up into Sara's eyes. Sara leaned down slowly, and captured Crystal's lips in a soft kiss.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, as well." Sara breathed out as they parted. Crystal couldn't help the smile that crossed her face when she heard Sara's husky voice. Crystal placed her head back on Sara's chest, feeling comfortable once again. Her tears were gone, replaced by what seemed to be a permanent smile. Sara kissed the top of her head, inhaling deeply.

"God you smell good. You must have been born on the beach..." She mumbled into Crystal's hair. Crystal laughed.

"Um, thanks, I guess?" She giggled out. Sara laughed deeply.

"Yeah, I guess that's a little weird... Let's get back to the break room. Don't worry about the others, I'm sure they chewed Ecklie out already." Sara reassured, leading Crystal out of the room with her arm slung across the shorter woman's shoulders. As they entered the break room, they immediately laughed at the sight.

Sofia was beating Nick in an arm wrestle, essentially toying with him a few centimeters before his ultimate defeat. Nick was red faced and sweating, while Sofia was just smiling away. Very lightly, she tapped his hand against the table.

"I win. Now hand over my 20 bucks." Nick grumbled while passing her a twenty dollar bill. Sofia shoved it in her back pocket, turning to Sara and Crystal.

"Boys always think they can win because I've got skinny arms." She reasoned, leaning back in her chair. Sara laughed.

"Well, you do have skinny arms... I can see where they made the error in judgment." Sara offered, pulling Crystal down onto the couch right beside her, tucked into her arms protectively. Crystal had no qualms about this, resting her head on Sara's strong shoulder. Sofia grinned at the little interaction, but kept any comments to herself. Instead, she offered Sara her normal sly grin, then returned to engaging in conversation with the boys. Catherine still remained silent, reading over a report she had to submit to the sheriff.

"Crystal, if it's not too much to ask, I would like to speak to you for a moment. Is that alright?" Grissom asked, holding his hand out to Crystal. She looked up at Sara, who gave her a nod of approval.

Crystal stood, and walked with Grissom into his office. She was amazed by the sheer amount of bugs in the room.

"Crystal, I would like to apologize for Ecklie, since he won't. He had no right to speak that way to you, and I assure you, I gave him a piece of the team's mind. I hope to see you again around here, Greg seems to enjoy your company, and I've never seen Sara so lively. You're good for her, and I do hope you stay." Grissom spoke, giving Crystal one of his 'Grissom' grins. She smiled right back.

"I will, Mr. Grissom. I understand now that it wasn't me, though I guess in a way I was a target. I will stick around, I really enjoy it here. And Greg's a hoot, a very intelligent guy with an eccentric side. Sofia is great, I really like her, too. Mia's an amazing woman, she's got wit when she wants it. Jacqui is hilarious, and Bobby is so sweet. Sara is probably the most incredible person I've ever met, and I know now that I don't have the strength to leave..." She answered, smiling sweetly. Grissom grinned, and reached back to his fridge.

"Great... Hey, do you like chocolate?" He asked, ever so innocently. Crystal nodded slowly, not getting the point. Grissom opened a jar, and offered her a piece of weirdly shaped chocolate. She immediately saw the cricket.

"Mr. Grissom, is this a chocolate covered cricket?" She asked warily. Grissom simply nodded, eating one himself. She smiled, and shrugged.

"You know, I've always wanted to try these..." She stated as she popped one into her mouth. She giggled.

"Crunchy."

Back in the break room, Sara was nervously pulling at the fuzz of the couch, wondering what Grissom was saying to Crystal. _If he's telling her to go home, I'll squish his tarantula... _Sara threatened in her mind, already imagining the look of utter horror on Grissom's face as one of his babies splattered under her thick boot. She looked up as Crystal and Grissom walked back in the room, both eating some sort of chocolate.

"Here Sara, you've got to try one of these, they're delicious." Crystal tempted, offering Sara a chocolate covered cricket. Sara blinked wide.

"Is that a cricket?" She asked bluntly. Crystal nodded, plopping down back into her spot beside Sara.

"Yup, they're crunchy, sort of like a coffee crisp. Come on, try one..." She teased, waving a cricket under Sara's nose. Sara's left eye twitched.

"You know, I think I'll pass on that..." She answered. Crystal shrugged, popping the cricket in her mouth.

"Suit yourself." She stated. Sara smiled, leaning her head back on Crystal's head. A cell phone suddenly rang out in through the air to the tune of 'Fire it up' by Black Label Society. Sofia grabbed her phone, and answered it quickly.

"Curtis... Oh, hi Mother. Yes... What do you mean, it blew up? Like, kabloomie? Oh, bother, Mother! I've told you a thousand times, unplug the vacuum BEFORE you start the microwave, otherwise you're going to short circuit your house! ...Yes, of course I'll fix it, but bloody hell, remember to unplug it this time! Alright... Okay... Pft, that's absurd and you know it...Yes...No...Argh, yes Mother... No Mother... Bye Mother..." Sofia slapped her phone shut, her left eye twitching slightly. Sara grinned.

"Your mom blew up the vacuum cleaner again, didn't she?" Sara asked between chuckles. Sofia nodded.

"I should just rewire her damn house. I've fixed the wiring WAY TOO MANY TIMES! For a top detective, she can't do anything with electricity... She says the current blew something off of the wall, so I bet it was a fair sized blast this time..." Sofia explained. Warrick laughed.

"Sometimes even geniuses can be absent-minded when it comes to wiring. You're lucky to be able to fix things like that without getting curly hair." He commented. Sofia huffed a laugh.

"I've been shocked pretty bad because of dear old mother... I was installing some lights in her bathroom, and she was going to flip on the fuse when I yelled down for her. I was almost done when I bumped my head on the ceiling. I yelled a nice curse word, which she thought meant to flip on the fuse... I got blown off the kitchen sink and halfway down the hallway." Sofia recalled, shaking her head. Nick blinked wide.

"That had to hurt... What'd you do after?" He asked. Sofia laughed.

"I lay on the floor until mom came up, asking what happened. I had to start all over again with a fresh set of lights because it had blown all of the breakers in the lights. And of course I had to, after all, it was my mother I was helping..." Catherine cringed.

"Nothing like home renovation to cause injury..." She stated as she washed out her coffee mug. Sara looked up at the clock, and jumped up, bringing Crystal up with her.

"SHIFT IS UP!" She yelled, ready to fly out of the door. Grissom smiled.

"Have a good night, everyone." He said as they all filed out quickly. Sara clocked out quickly, practically running to her car. Crystal jumped in as well, grinning as Sara peeled out of the parking lot after waving goodbye to Sofia.

Sofia smiled at her friend's enthusiasm while she unlocked her car. She slipped into what she referred to her 'Beat cop Bitch', or the car that she only used at work. After clicking the radio to a familiar station, she drove out of the parking lot, ready to go fix her mother's bloody wiring system. Sofia grinned at the song playing, feeling a smile creep onto her face.

_Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all_

_You're sick of feeling numb  
You're not the only one  
I'll take you by the hand  
And I'll show you a world that you can understand  
This life is filled with hurt  
When happiness doesn't work  
Trust me and take my hand  
When the lights go out you will understand_

_Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all_

_Anger and agony  
Are better than misery  
Trust me I've got a plan  
When the lights go off you will understand_

_Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing  
Rather feel pain_

_I know (I know I know I know I know)_

_That you're wounded  
You know (You know you know you know you know)  
That I'm here to save you  
You know (You know you know you know you know)  
I'm always here for you  
I know (I know I know I know I know)  
That you'll thank me later_

_Pain, without love  
Pain, can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Rather feel pain_

Sofia turned a corner and broke onto the main highway, heading towards her mother's house. Since her house, along with the homes beside hers, was being fumigated, she had to move everything into storage and was currently staying with her nut bar of a mother. After that had been done, she had simply taken to parking in front of her mother's house.

_I really hope she didn't manage to set something on fire... Again._

After a few hours of heavy duty shopping, Crystal and Sara returned home, plopping the bags down on the kitchen counter. They both collapsed onto the couch.

"I'm glad that's over with..." Crystal stated. Sara nodded mutely, dropping her head to rest on Crystal's lap. Crystal giggled at Sara. She obviously wasn't a heavy shopper. Crystal began running her hands through Sara's hair softly, closing her own eyes. Sara's eyelids soon became very heavy.

"As much as I love this, we should make it over to the bed. I think I'm gonna fall asleep..." Sara mumbled. Crystal agreed. After a few attempts, they finally stumbled down the hallway. Sara flopped onto her bed, grinning. Crystal grabbed a pair of her new pj's, and changed quickly. Sara fumbled into a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, managing to flop back into bed quickly enough. Crystal snuggled up to her, a tiny smile on her face.

"Goodnight, Sara."

"Mphahdfm." Sara mumbled. Crystal would have laughed, if it had not been for sleep taking over.

Next time, in Stimuli!

"**_My house blew up."_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal. 

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. And the story line just changed drastically because of a personal event that just happened in my life.

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

Sara's eyes slowly slid open, blinking to dispel the thick fog of sleep from her vision. Sara yawned loudly, pulling the body in her arms closer to her chest. Crystal mumbled and tightened her grip on Sara's midsection, burying her face between Sara's shoulder and her breast. Sara laughed slightly, reaching over with her free hand to slam the alarm clock before it began its dreadful beeping.

"Mornin', beautiful..." Sara mumbled, kissing the top of Crystal's blonde head once again. Crystal made a sound that almost sounded like a purr as she propped herself up on her elbow. Crystal leaned in, giving Sara a soft kiss on the lips.

"And to you too, my savior..." Crystal replied. Sara smiled, and rolled over on top of Crystal, holding herself above her love with her powerful arms. Sara leaned down and initiated a fiery kiss, her hair falling around their faces like a veil. When she pulled back, Crystal's eyes had closed and she had what seemed like a perpetual smile on her face.

"Hate to break the moment, but what would you like me to cook for breakfast?" Crystal asked, her eyes opening. Sara nuzzled Crystal's nose with her own, earning a giggle.

"I don't care, anything that feeds the beast." She stated, rolling off of Crystal and onto her feet. Crystal followed suit, and once again, they didn't even bother making the bed. Sara went straight to the bathroom, while Crystal sauntered to the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards for sustenance for her 'knight in rugged armour'. She decided that she'd make waffles.

After an incredibly quick shower, Sara ambled out into the living room, dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans and a fairly tight red t-shirt. She walked up behind Crystal, encircling her arms around Crystal's fair waist. She leaned down, dropping kisses on the cook's shoulders. Crystal giggled.

"You're awfully sweet this morning... I'm making some waffles, is that okay?" Crystal mentioned, leaning back to kiss Sara's temple. Sara grinned.

"Sometimes I'm sweet, sometimes I'm prickly. Depends on my sleep, I suppose. Waffles sounds great, by the way. So, would you like to come to work again, or-" Sara was cut off by the ringing of her home phone. Grumbling, Sara picked up the phone, already missing the contact with Crystal.

"Sidle... Yes, this is she, who am I speaking to? Yes, I know him... What? That's terrible! Oh no... Wait, what? He left me his house! And nobody even bothered to call to tell me he was gone? Of course I'm pissed, I just lost a great friend! Yes, of course. Bye." Sara slammed the phone down on the receiver, looking stressed.

"What's wrong, honey?" Crystal asked, worry etched across her face. Sara sighed.

"My friend Jack died, and no one even called me for the funeral. Sudden cardiac arrest, his family history was bad. Apparently I'm in the will. He left his house, his garage, and everything in his garage to me. This is... It's a big shock. I'm sorry if I get pissy today..." Sara explained, running a hand through her damp hair. Crystal plopped the waffles down onto two plates, and turned off the stove. She walked over to Sara, and wrapped her arms around the brunette's midsection, dropping her head to rest on the taller woman's collarbone.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You must have been important to him if he left you everything. I'm sure he's watching over you know, perhaps even in a better place. I know it doesn't do much to deter the grief... I love you, Sara. You'll get through this, I know you will." Sara felt her heart clench, and the walls that she had built up suddenly shattered. Her arms wrapped around Crystal, and she pulled her as close as possible, resting her forehead atop the golden locks once again.

"I love you, too. It's hard to believe I fell in love so fast. Normally I don't even let people in. I don't know how, but you got me, Crystal... I know I want to help find your family, but I don't want them to take you away from me. Selfish, eh?" Sara huffed a laugh, her voice deepening once again.

"I won't leave you, Sara. I don't have the power, or the will to do so. Now, let's have some breakfast and get to work." Crystal stated. After a nice, relaxing breakfast, Crystal walked off to get dressed. Sara quickly rinsed off the dishes, and tiptoed to the back room, feeling like a voyeur as she peeked through the crack in the door. Crystal was pulling on a beautiful blue, button up blouse. Other than that, she was only clad in a pair of light pink underwear and a pair of black socks.

Sara couldn't help herself. She walked forward, running her hand up the back of Crystal's thigh. Crystal squeaked, turning around. Sara's eyes immediately zoomed in on some very nice cleavage. She mumbled incoherently, her hands on Crystal's hips.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself..." She reasoned, dipping down to lick the hollow of Crystal's throat. Crystal moaned, but pushed Sara back.

"If I let you continue, I'll never get around to getting dressed. Now scoot!" Sara was at a loss for words when she was swiftly shoved out of the room. She shrugged, and walked down the hallway, packing up her things for work.

When Crystal emerged, she adorned a blue skirt that ended just below her knees. Her blouse looked like it was made of silk. She had a bit of make up on, consisting of a silvery eyeshadow and a bluish eyeliner. She wore the silver necklace that Sara had bought her, along with a silver bracelet. Her hair was worn in a long braid, showing off the true length of her golden locks. She was stunning. Sara's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Crystal, you're... Absolutely beautiful. I...wow. You're going to have to fend the guys off with a stick..." Sara stated, standing up and running her hands over Crystal's shoulders, hips and skirt-covered thighs. Crystal laughed, giving Sara another soft kiss.

"More like I'll have to fend YOU off with a stick... Now come on, let's get going. Wouldn't want you to be late." Crystal taunted, trailing her finger along Sara's jaw as she walked out the front door. She had already pulled on a pair of high-cut, deep blue boots. Sara shook her head and grinned, grabbing her kit and her long, leather jacket. After throwing it on, she locked the door. With the brunette's arm around Crystal's shoulder, the two women walked down to the Corvette, once again heading to work.

After once again getting Crystal a pass, they headed into the break room. Grissom was seated at the table, sipping at his coffee and reading a fairly large textbook. He looked up, and greeted both of them with a smile.

"Morning, ladies." Crystal smiled wide at Grissom, waving slightly.

"Morning, Mr. Grissom." She replied, sitting down on the couch. Sara flopped down beside the blonde, her arm immediately wrapping around the smaller woman's slim shoulders.

"Hey, Gris." Sara greeted. Grissom raised an eyebrow and chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee.

"There aren't any new cases, and Brass informed me that you closed your case already. Normally, I would probably let you go, but I glanced at the amount of paper work you have..." Grissom explained, a twinkle in his eye. Sara groaned, her head leaning back on the couch.

"Oh, hell..." Crystal laughed at Sara's obvious distress over paperwork. She placed her hand softly on the brunette's knee, looking up into her eyes.

"Well, good luck with that. I think I'll hang out with Greg again..." Sara's jaw dropped, staring at Crystal incredulously.

"Not going to keep me company?" She asked, almost sounding like a pouting puppy. Crystal stood up, and blew Sara a kiss.

"Nah, paperwork is boring. Bye bye!" Crystal said as she swiftly exited the room. Sara blinked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Awww... Now I'm going to be twice as bored!" She complained, staring at the stack of paperwork Grissom had plopped in front of her. She grabbed her blue pen and began working, every once in a while grumbling to herself. Grissom chuckled.

"Has to get done sometime, Sara. Better now than later when Ecklie freaks or something." Grissom reasoned, turning back to his book. Sara continued to mumble incoherently as the rest of the CSIs filed in. Crystal and Greg also came back in, laughing about some inane thing or another. The group looked up as Sofia walked very slowly into the room.

Her left eye was twitching, and her hair was frizzing up from her ponytail. Her pants were burnt into a pair of shorts, she was missing a shoe and there was a burnt hole in her sock, showing her big toe. Her shirt was slightly askew, and singed around the edges. She was covered in what appeared to be soot. Sara immediately stood up, checking Sofia for any injuries.

"What the hell happened?" She asked. The blonde turned to Sara slowly, and gave a nervous laughter.

"My house blew up." She stated. Sara was taken aback, thinking it was some sort of strange joke.

"What? What do you mean, blew up?" Crystal asked for the group. Sofia started gesturing with her hands.

"Like, BOOM KABLAM BOOMY! I was walking up to my house, because the fumigators said that the people on my block could go back to their homes. I got half way up the driveway, then BLAM KABLAM BOOMY, my house BLEW UP!" Sofia exclaimed, jumping around and waving her arms wildly. Sara's jaw dropped.

"Woah, shit. What about the insurance? And how long is it going to take for them to rebuild your house?" Sara asked, guiding Sofia to sit down on the couch. Sofia shrugged.

"I can either use the money to rebuild my house, OR go out and just buy another one. But seriously, how the fuck did they manage to accidentally blow up an entire block of homes? Bloody hell, even I know not to put that many gas bombs!" Sofia whined, dropping her head into her hands.

"Well, I could offer for you to stay at my house until then. I've got a spare room." Grissom offered, taking a sip of his coffee. Sofia looked up.

"Thanks, but I'm already staying at my mother's house... Oh god, I am not staying there much longer! Ugh..." Sofia groaned, looking down at her wiggling toes. Sara suddenly perked up.

"Hey, you remember how big Jack's house was, right?" The brunette asked, hands on her hips. Sofia nodded.

"Yeah, has to be to fit all of those cars..." Sofia stated, stretching her arms. Sara leaned back on the table.

"Well, Jack's dead, and he left the house to me. And now, you can have it. But I'm keeping my half of the garage." Sara stated, leaving no room for any type of argument from the frazzled blonde. Sofia looked up.

"That's a shame that Jack's dead... Wait, what? He left you the house?...Don't tell me you..."

"If the rest of that sentence even goes through your mind, I swear I'll rip your nipples off." Sara threatened, cutting Sofia off. Sofia immediately crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not my nipples! But, are you serious about just giving me the house? I mean, I'd owe you big time..." Sofia asked, wondering what the hell Sara was thinking. Sara laughed.

"I don't need all that space, at least not yet. Besides, there are so many rooms I could have a room to myself and you wouldn't even notice. More space for me, more space for you, and you get to keep that nice wad of insurance money." Sara explained. Warrick grinned.

"Hey, that's a pretty good idea, Sara. Why don't we all help clean up the place, maybe get a few coats of new paint on today? I mean, we don't have anything else to do..." The friendly CSI suggested, effectively smooth-talking his way into getting everyone to help Sofia. Nick grinned.

"Sounds like a plan! We'll observe the place, see what needs to be fixed. If need be, we'll stop at the hardware store and get supplies. Afterwards, we all get totally hammered!" Nick added in good spirit. Sofia smirked.

"I like the latter part of that plan..." Sara beamed once again, flinging down her pen.

"Alright, then let's get going! The address is 6676 Ravenburrow drive. Just follow me!" She exclaimed as she practically tossed her now forgotten paperwork into a random folder. Grissom was about to reprimand her, but for some reason decided against it. Instead, he closed his book and headed off with the rest of the team towards the parking lot.

_That's my team, always supportive of each other... Note to self: Buy something for group. _

Sorry, had to kill Jack, all!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. And the story line just changed drastically because of a personal event that just happened in my life.

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

The house was massive. There was no other way to describe the beautifully crafted house other than massive. It was three stories high from the ground, the levels separated by what looked like Roman architectural marble designs. The windows were tall, with a pointed, arched top.

The roof was elongated with a slope, and the attic window was circular and made of stained glass. The door was in the same tall, arch-top design as the windows. It was made of a heavy red oak, which served wonders for security, and was trimmed with the same gold as the doorknob and dragon-faced knocker.

The porch was shielded from the elements by Roman pillars and stained glass. In front of the glass was another layer of Plexiglas, transparent, but very protective of the art. The floorboards were stained a deep red, with a gold and violet carpet squared over the middle in front of the door. The porch door also had some heavy locks, but it looked like they had never actually been locked.

The stone steps looked as if they were made of black marble, the same black marble as the designs on the levels above. The grass was green and cut perfectly. Around the front yard and leading into the back was a thick fence, which resembled the thick walls of the forums back in Ancient Rome. On either side of the front steps -on top of two thick, black marble platforms- sat a dragon statue. They were made of a heavy material and coated in either gold paint or gold foil. Either way, they shone with the brilliance of the middle ages.

The walls of the house were made of brick, painted a deep violet to contrast with the golden trims and the red designs. Everything created a dark harmony and a sense of mystique. The backyard was shielded by thick evergreen trees, surrounding a tranquil pond. The pond had a rock waterfall working in a perpetual cycle, and there appeared to be a few fish and a turtle in the pond.

The front and back windows were much wider than the others, trimmed with marble vine work. Inside, deep red curtains kept out any prying eyes that happened to hop the massive fence. Beside the house was what appeared to be a small, black hut.

Sofia stood slack-jawed in front of the house, still not believing that it was all hers now. Warrick whistled loudly, while Nick and Greg joined the stunned blonde in gaping at the house. Catherine took off her sunglasses, looking up at the house in amazement. Grissom had a twinkle in his eye, looking positively enthused about the exquisite house. Sara laughed at everyone's reactions, and simply walked up into the porch.

"Well, are you coming? Just watch your step, the ghost might grab you." She spoke over her shoulder, unlocking the large front door. Sofia snapped out of her reverie, and bounded towards the door, following Sara inside. The rest of the group followed, stepping inside the home.

The inside was to die for. The hardwood floors were stained a deep red, with a majestic and royal red carpet down the middle of the hallway. At the end of its seemingly endless length stood an enormous staircase. Another red carpet ran down the middle of the staircase from the top of the foyer. The railings were golden and curled at the ends, turning into dragon faces.

The front entrance also held a large closet, equipped with the finest of organizers. The coat rack was empty except for one long, red leather jacket. On the coat hanger was a little note. Sofia took it and read the note out loud.

"To Sofia- This will help you one day. -Jack." Sofia smiled to herself, tucking the note into the remnants of her front pocket. She turned her attention back to the house.

On the wall above the front stairs sat a large painting of two dragon heads facing each other. Beside it stood two pedestals on either side, made of marble and holding up two large candles. The railings curled around the side of the foyer's higher ledges, leading upstairs and onto the floor above the main entrance. Throughout the hallway towards these stairs, paintings of dragons in golden frames hung on the walls.

Sara led them towards the landing of the stairs. As they turned to the right, they flocked into the kitchen. The counter tops were made of black marble, the tiles on the floor a deep red. The oven was an island style, having an attached cutting board that could slide out from the side. The cupboards were redwood, the handles gold with violet ribbons tied to them. There was a large chrome refrigerator beside a pantry, with a few letter shaped magnets left over.

"Wow, that is one big refrigerator..." Catherine stated, almost whistling at the sheer size of it. Sofia nodded.

"Wow is the right word. Just... Wow. That'll hold a lot of beer, eh Sara?" Sofia joked, turning to her brunette friend. Sara laughed.

"Christmas with Curtis it is! And Halloween... If you guys have liked the house so far, wait until you see the dinning room." Sara walked out of the room through the opening. The others followed slowly, each gasping in awe and amazement.

The ceiling was high and dome shaped, holding a massive and beautiful chandelier above them. The ceiling had a painting of a grand battle, the two sides pitting off against each other. One side consisted of red dragons and knights, while the other had their blue counterparts. At the far end of the dining hall, there was a little balcony about a door's height above the floor. Two violet curtains were draped over it, shadowing the room behind it.

The dining hall was lined with the same red carpet, with golden tassels around its edges. The dining table was long and rectangular, probably over ten feet in length. It was lined with very comfortable and plush looking chairs, each frame a deep gold, their cushions a royal red. The table legs were carved as long, snake-like dragon bodies, the bottom edge carved like a dragon's claw. The wood was once again stained a deep red.

At the end sat a large, throne-like chair. The back was a dragon's torso and head, drawn up high above the seat, so it would lean over the person seated. The arm rests were the dragon's knees, leading down to the front legs of the dragon, supporting the chair. The dragon's tail was carved to curve into the back legs. The dragon was a deep stone in colour, except for its jeweled, emerald eyes. Sara sat in the chair, leaning back with her fingers interlaced, giving a grin over to the group.

"Welcome..." She boomed out. It echoed quite loudly. The room was deadly silent afterwards, until Sara burst into laughter, leaning forward on the table. Crystal grinned, sitting on the table in front of Sara.

"You really enjoy being dramatic, don't you?" She asked, smiling sweetly. Sara shrugged.

"Not normally. But with the acoustics in this room, how could I resist? Besides..." Sara quickly leaned in close to Crystal's ear, turning her normal speaking voice into a low whisper. "I feel like such a voyeur when I look at you as I sit in that chair. Makes me feel like something sexy is going to break out..." Sara leaned back afterwards, leaving Crystal with a fairly bright blush on her face.

"Come on, folks, there's still more to see!" Sara chimed, waving the others over to a wide opening. As the group passed through, they were led to a large open area, presumably the living room. Wide, violet coloured couches were arranged against the wall, in front of a large, glass coffee table.

Near the magnificent fireplace was another throne, just like the one in the kitchen. On the other side of the fire place sat a slightly smaller chair, this time a deep red dragon, with ruby eyes. Laying across the larger throne was a cane, with a dragon's head for the ball point and the rest the dragon's long, scaled tail. Underneath was a card. Sara tore open the envelope, and looked inside.

"To Sara- For your bad back. I hope it won't have to be used for any other injuries.- Jack. I wonder if he knew he was going... Or if he just planned for any occasion..." Sara wondered aloud, clicking the cane to the ground. Warrick raised his eyebrow.

"You have a bad back? I never noticed." Sara gave Warrick a warm smile, shrugging.

"I'm good at disguising it. I broke eight vertebrae in my spine when I was twelve. I was never able to get into physiotherapy, so I basically dealt with it. Later on, I re-broke three vertebrae in an accident, and then the last five in a work situation a few years later. I still run slightly funny because of it." Sara explained, testing out her new cane. Grissom raised his eyebrow.

"Work situation?" He asked, sitting down on the thick couch, finding it very comfortable. The rest of the CSIs seated themselves. Sara sat down on the main throne, pulling Crystal to sit on her lap. Crystal blushed, but kept quiet, snuggling into Sara. Sofia sat on the red throne, crossing her legs.

"Yeah... We were processing a scene when I found something in the crevice of a shingle. When I grabbed it, some neighbour thought I was robbing them and shot at me. Missed me, but I lost my footing and fell off of the roof. I landed on my lower back on top of a metal fence, heard a crack. I went numb, and I passed out before I even hit the ground. Woke up in the hospital with a few broken vertebrae. Not fun." Sara told her story, all the while wrapping Crystal up into her arms, her cane in front of Crystal in a protective manner. Greg cringed.

"Man, that had to have hurt. I'm surprised you're not in a wheel chair." Greg stated, adjusting in his spot. Sara shrugged.

"I'm used to falling off of things... Trees, roofs, stairs, elevators, trucks, horses, snowmobiles, snowboards, surfboards, jet skis and water skis. You name it, I've probably fallen off of it." Sara laughed, leaning her chin on top of Crystal's golden curls. The blonde grinned to herself, tightening her grip on Sara's shirt. Grissom smiled, and stood up.

"Well, I'm going to check out the rest of the house. I'm intrigued by the architecture." He stated, padding towards the stairs. The CSIs began to get up, including the ladies on the thrones.

Upstairs was as elegant as the rest of the house. Beautiful paintings, exquisite carpets, exotic statues and magnificent colours reigned supreme. There were two wings of the house, each with an equal amount of rooms. There were two main bathrooms, along with each room being equipped with the minimal of a shower stall. There were also smaller bathrooms between a few of the rooms.

There were two master bedrooms in each wing, facing the backyard. The beds were king sized in every room, to a total of eight rooms, two of which had a set of double beds. The walls were a deep red, the bed sheets satin with violet comforters, and the carpets the lovely gold and red. The main room beds were canopy beds, with thick oak for the bed frame. Dresser drawers and desks were fitted almost randomly throughout the rooms.

In each room, there was a bookcase, holding a different section of books, all filled to the max. In the main bedroom, there was a candle holder beside the bookcase without a candle in it. Sara yanked on it, and the bookcase twirled open, revealing a study room behind it. Sara pulled it again, closing it off.

"Well, this concludes the house tour. I'll show you all the garage in a minute. That should be a blast, eh, Sass?" Sara laughed out. Sofia grinned and nodded.

"Oh yeah. Here, let's get going. We'll meet you there, Sara." Sofia herded the group downstairs, leaving Sara and Crystal in the master bedroom above.

Sara placed her hands on Crystal's hips, pulling the shorter woman towards her quickly. Crystal gave Sara a sexy pout before reaching up and nipping at Sara's bottom lip. Sara made a slight growling noise, leaning Crystal back to lie on the bed. Crystal wrapped her legs around Sara's hips, deepening the kiss. Sara growled again, holding herself above Crystal with her powerful arms. Crystal moaned loudly as Sara's right hand trailed up her thigh, cupping her rear end under the skirt. Neither one of them noticed the pair of sunglasses sitting on the bed.

"Oh damn, I forgot my glasses!" Catherine huffed as she turned on the stairs, going back up. The door to the master bedroom was ajar, so Catherine simply pushed it open. She was shocked at the sight of the two making out like teenagers. The blonde shook herself out of her stupor, and closed the door back to its ajar position, pretty sure they didn't hear her come in. She then knocked.

"Hey guys, it's Catherine, I forgot my glasses in there!" She called through the door, trying not to let on the face that she just saw two very hot people making out. _Hot? Since when the hell is Sidle hot? _Catherine thought, not believing her own mind. The door popped open, revealing two very flushed women. Crystal passed the older woman her glasses, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry about that." Was all she said as she hooked her arm in Sara's. Sara led them downstairs, her cane clicking loudly. Catherine watched the two as she walked down behind them. _Why do I feel so...Empty? I mean, I've got Chris... right? So I shouldn't feel anything about this. I should be happy for her, and send my own mental good luck to Crystal. If she can get along with Sidle, props to her._

_But...why?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. And the story line just changed drastically because of a personal event that just happened in my life.

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

Sofia's ears wiggled slightly as she heard the loud, distinctive click of Sara's cane. The blonde grinned to herself as she saw the brunette's arm interlaced loosely with Crystal's dainty arm. Her grin almost dropped, however, when she spotted Catherine behind them, looking slightly distressed. _Well, it's too late to tell her to get her head out of her ass and go for it, so... Meh. _Sofia thought as she led the now complete group to a large door with a keypad mounted on the wall beside it.

"Now, I do warn you all... Don't touch any of the vehicles." Sofia's voice was foreboding and commanding, the deep alto tone rippling through the air. The group nodded slowly, a few gulps being heard. Sofia immediately brightened up, turning to the keypad and punching in the code. The door swung open, and the group stepped through, descending the steep stairs, immediately gasping.

The garage was absolutely enormous. On one wall to the far side, there were tools and shelves, all meticulously organized. Large engines sat beneath a desk which was covered with layout plans and other random objects. But the real attraction was the vehicles. There were three unveiled vehicles, and one hidden under a large, black sheet.

The first car was a Mitsubishi Spyder Eclipse, a deep red in colour. It had been heavily modified, sitting very low to the ground with thick exhaust pipes out the back. The interior upholstery was black leather, with red stitching. The dashboard was equipped with extra dials, to which the CSIs could only fathom a guess as to what they did. There was a pair of hot pink fuzzy handcuffs hanging from the rear view mirror, and a snake head for the shifter. On the front window in chrome was the word 'Delinquency'. The license plate read 'CURT ISC'.

The second vehicle was a Cadillac Escalade EXT, a deep blue in colour. The wheels were thick, as were the exhaust pipes. The trim was a shiny chrome, along with the custom flame design on the sides of the truck. The license plate read 'SPARROW1'. The inside was the regular black upholstery, with no special stitching of any kind. Once again, the dashboard was fitted with more speedometers than normal.

The third vehicle was a motorcycle, more specifically, a custom made motorcycle. The handlebars were made high, the bike stretched out long. The colour scheme was a deep crimson red with golden trim. The rims looked like bats flying from different angles. The exhaust pipes were huge, probably the size of a football at the ends. There was also a strange canister underneath the pipes, labeled 'Venom'. The license plate read '666CURT'.

Sara walked over to the car hidden underneath the sheet, grasping at its edge. With a swift yank, the sheet revealed the next car. It was a Chrysler 300C luxury Sedan, a metallic, forest green in colour with gold trim. The front grill was done beautifully, the back exhausts thick and ready to rumble. On the front of the car's tinted green windows, it read 'Chasing' in golden letters. On the back window, it read 'Rabbits' in the same gold, Old English font. The license plate read 'P9241SS'. The inside was a dark brown, leather upholstery, with a tribal design stitched in.

"Now this, this is my baby... Those shitty ones over there are Sofia's..." Sara laughed out, leaning against her car. Sofia put her hands on her hips, shooting Sara a glare.

"Shitty? Are you kiddin' me? These things can go 240 and can turn on a dim! That piece of shit has to slide around corners!" Sofia defended, sitting on her motorcycle. Sara huffed.

"You're just mad 'cause you can't drift. Your car doesn't have the weight," Sara stated, clicking her way back to Crystal, pulling the smaller blonde tight against her front, leaning down and nipping at her ear. Crystal reached back and pinched the back of Sara's inner thigh, earning her a low growl from the older brunette. Sofia waved an arm at them and moved towards the door to the house.

"Oh, get a room or a backseat for god's sake! Come on gang, let's go call the movers. I don't want them to cheap me out of anything." The group followed swiftly, Grissom shooting a sly smile at Sara. The brunette simply grinned. Catherine kept her eyes glued to the ground, trying to ignore the obvious love in the air. Crystal went to follow the group, but was stopped as Sara's cane clicked down in front of her, stopping her from leaving. The blonde turned, a grin on her face.

"As much as I'd love to, we can't be away long." Sara's face immediately dropped its smile and morphed into a pout at Crystal's words. The brunette clicked forward, leaning her forehead against Crystal's, gazing into the blonde's eyes.

"But honey..." Sara whined, her left hand at the small of the younger woman's back. Crystal sighed, capturing Sara's lips in a gentle kiss.

"I know... But the quicker we get this done, the quicker we can go home..." Crystal trailed off, her hands cupping Sara's face in a loving gesture. Sara smiled softly, enjoying the feeling of the younger woman's soft hands on her face.

"Alright..." Sara mumbled, looping her arm through Crystal's and heading through the door. When they joined the group in the main living room, Sofia was on her cell phone, speaking quickly and concisely about instructions for moving her stuff. Grissom was rummaging through the bookshelf, a look of pure joy on his face when he pulled out an old, leather-bound book with the title 'Insect'. Warrick was speaking animatedly with Greg and Nick about his favorite football play. Catherine was quiet, admiring the throne that Sara had been seated on.

"I would have liked to have met Jack... He had amazing taste..." Catherine mumbled, running her fingers over the dragon's claw. Sara smirked to herself, looking over to Crystal with a glaze of lust in her eyes.

"That he did... Beauty was something he would never shirk on. Neither do I," She stated, never turning her gaze away from the blonde. Crystal blushed, looking down to the ground and wiggling her toe on the floor in an adorable manner. Catherine felt her stomach tighten, but kept her irrational jealousy wave at bay. Luckily, her phone ringing cut their conversation short.

"Willows," Catherine answered, slightly irritated. She mouthed 'Ecklie' to them all, silencing the group. Sofia was done with her phone call, slumping into her chair again.

"Um, we're just... Out for coffee. Yes, for an hour! What, there were no cases and we needed something with substance. Well, if you want us to stick around, refill our county sludge with Blue Hawaiian and we might stay a few more minutes. No, I'm not running my mouth, don't you start false accusations you little twit! No, no, I didn't call you a little twit, I was speaking to the waiter, you sniveling pile of crap. No sir, I wasn't speaking to you, oh lord of brown nosing. No, once again, I wasn't talking to you, ass face. How bout I just let you go, fucktard, I can't seem to keep a conversation with you, pathetic kiss-ass. Okay, bye fuck-head!" Catherine closed her phone. Sofia burst into laughter, slapping her knee.

"Did he actually believe you weren't speaking to him?" the giggling detective asked. Catherine grinned, nodding.

"I've always wanted to say that to him without getting fired..." Catherine stated, tucking her phone back into her purse. Sara clapped animatedly.

"Thank you for voicing my inner thoughts..." She stated. Grissom blinked, looking up from his book.

"Fucktard... I like that. I believe I will steal this phrase and label it as my own..." Grissom explained, thinking over this matter of a 'fucktard' in his brain. Greg raised an eyebrow.

"That was really awkward. Just listening to you say the word is odd enough, let alone using it on a regular basis..." Greg mentioned, reclining on the couch. A sudden loud, thudding bang resonated through the house. The group went silent.

"Is there someone else here?" Nick asked in a hushed voice. Sara shook her head, and crept up the stairs, her cane resting across her shoulders. Sofia shadowed the brunette with her pistol, while Warrick followed with a fire poker.

Sara suddenly stopped below the entrance to the attic, looking straight up. Footsteps were heard from above her. She held up her index finger, and then pointed to her ear. Sofia nodded, and crouched beside Sara. Sara put her foot on Sofia's shoulders, readying herself and Sofia. With a combined teamwork that only came from years of friendship, Sofia sent Sara flying up into the doorway to the attic. Sara leaped into the attic, holding her cane dangerously.

Warrick quickly vaulted Sofia up into the attic as well. The group listened as many thuds and yells were heard from the above room. With one last thud, a man dressed in black was thrown through the opening, hitting the ground with a loud crash. Sara leaped down afterwards, landing on the man with both feet. Sofia quickly followed, slapping a pair of handcuffs that she had acquired from her car onto the man's hands, rattling off his rights. Warrick phoned the B & E in for the group, speaking to the operator in a quick, concise tone. Soon, a few officers towed the man away while Sara and Sofia were being interviewed by a dayshift CSI.

Catherine took this opportunity to observe Crystal from her spot beside Nick. The younger blonde was beautiful, no doubt about that. Her hair shimmered with the radiance of youth, her eyes reminding Catherine of the ocean. Crystal's skin looked like it could be as soft as velvet, her voice an incredibly smooth and gentle sound. Her legs were crafted perfectly to fit her skirt.

Sara was right. Crystal was beautiful. Another wave of jealousy coursed through the elder blonde, but she quickly repressed it. _Why should I be jealous? I have Chris, and I'm pretty damn hot for my age... _Catherine thought, trying to repress her venomous anger at the young blonde. Catherine turned her attention up the stairs to where Sara was beginning to tap her way down, already back in the swing of using a cane. The older blonde immediately saw the love in Sara's hard eyes directed towards Crystal, and she knew that there was no chance, even if she had tried.

Sofia slid down the railing, landing on her feet. Warrick quickly ambled down the stairs, replacing the fire poker to its original spot. Sofia yawned, slumping into her seat.

"Man, what a day... I hope the movers get here fast so I can get this over with and go to sleep..." Sofia mumbled, her legs dangling over the armrest in a relaxed manner. Sara sat in her chair, her cane resting beside her.

"Wait, is your mother coming?" She asked warily. Sofia leaped out of her chair, hands on her head.

"OH SHIT! That crazy bat is coming with them! NOO! NO! ARGH!" Sofia complained, stomping her foot and jumping around like a mad woman. Crystal raised an eyebrow.

"Poor soul..." She mumbled, grinning to herself. Suddenly, the front door swung open.

"SOFIA! I'M HERE!" called a heavily accented woman's voice. Sofia froze, almost shuddering.

"Oh god, she's already here!"

TBC... buhahaha...


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. And the story line just changed drastically because of a personal event that just happened in my life.

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

The move in was hell. Sofia's mother was quite the human being... Or rather, the broken record spinning perpetually on a mile a minute track. By the end, Sofia's main necessities were inside, while the rest was stored in the basement. They had found the basement by lifting up the carpet to reveal a trap door. Needless to say, it was creepy, with cobwebs and other crawling things hanging and skittering about the rafters. Sofia slumped onto the couch, absolutely exhausted after her mother had finally left.

"That...was absolute hell..." she mumbled. Sara chuckled from her spot near the fire, her blonde lover nestled in her lap, surrounded by the brunette's unwavering grasp.

Warrick and Nick had departed after the heavy moving was done, while Greg, Catherine and Grissom stayed to assist with the arranging and cleaning part. Grissom was currently nestled in the other throne, stroking his fuzzy grey beard as he read through the old, parchment-like pages of the leather-bound book. Greg was lying on the couch beside Sofia, his spikey blonde hair flattening from being pressed against the couch. Catherine was studying the carvings on the door frame. The inquisitive blonde had noticed the dragon carvings when she had turned to find a nice place for a lamp.

The group settled into a calm, comfortable quiet. Crystal was napping quietly against Sara, gently pawing at the collar of Sara's shirt in her sleep, much like a kitten would. Sofia was absently stroking Greg's hair, her eyes closed and her feet propped up on a footstool. Greg laughed lightly.

"I believe I've become a puppy..." he muttered, a lopsided grin on his face. Sofia mumbled something incoherently, chuckling in a tired wisp. Catherine traced the door frame with her fingers, a look of contemplation on her face. The rose-coloured wood seemed to captivate her attention, her blue sapphires scanning every inch.

"Something about this wood intrigues me... I feel drawn to it, but I have no idea why," Catherine suddenly spoke, turning to face the group. Sara made a vague gesture to the air around her, careful not to wake her sleeping love.

"Jack had a presence about him. Everything about him was...Magical, mysterious... He lived under a veil of mysteriousness that honestly can't be explained. Perhaps he had a deeper connection to dragons than just seeing them as amazing beasts." The brunette's deep voice reverberated through the room. Catherine smiled softly, sitting down in a large armchair.

"I believe you... Sometimes you're just drawn to something," she answered, her feet joining Sofia's on the footstool. Sara looked down towards her love, her hand drifting over the young woman's serene face.

"I think I'm going to go tuck Crystal into one of the beds, she's had a fairly long day. You don't mind, right?" Sara announced, cradling the young blonde into her arms. Her cane was in Crystal's hands, the younger woman gripping at it in her sleep. Sofia waved it off.

"No problem, I think I'm going to go to bed, too. You guys are all welcome to stay, doesn't matter to me. I've got a whole shwack of rooms..." With the help of Greg, Sofia slowly got up, stumbling towards the stairs in a sleepy manner. Sara waited until Sofia had reached the top before she began carrying Crystal to the top. 

"Night, guys." Sara called, walking around the corner to the more secluded wing. With her foot, she prodded open the door, laying Crystal on the four poster, King-sized bed before turning and closing the door. When she turned around, the lamp had been clicked on and Crystal was sitting up, twirling the brunette's cane in her hands with a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Hey, sexy," she purred, standing and slowly walking towards Sara, her hips swaying seductively. Sara's eyes wandered over the blonde's body, slowly making their way up to her beautiful ocean eyes. She subconsciously licked her lips in anticipation.

"You certainly wake up quickly... Are you sure you're not tired?" Sara asked softly, stepping forward and placing her hands on Crystal's hips. Crystal sighed softly, giving Sara a gentle kiss on the lips. Using the cane, she brought Sara's head down to her own, her passion flowing in the form of her tongue as she penetrated her lover's mouth. Sara growled into the kiss, walking them forward until they hit the bed, tumbling onto it in a heap of limbs and tongue.

Sara's hands moved slowly, trailing up the back of Crystal's smooth legs, squeezing her ass gently as the brunette leaned over the ocean-eyed goddess. Crystal wrapped her legs around Sara's waist, locking her ankles as she ground into the button on Sara's jeans. The older woman groaned loudly, breaking the kiss to nip at Crystal's earlobe. The younger woman moaned, pulling at Sara's belt almost frantically. Sara pulled back panting, looking down at Crystal through the fog of arousal.

"Crystal, wait. I don't want to force you into this, we can wait if you'd like." Sara stated, her eyes soft and emotional. Soon she was met with the sight of watery ocean eyes. Crystal raised her hands and slowly stroked Sara's cheek, gazing at her with adoration.

"No ones ever said that to me before... Oh Sara, this must be a dream... You're so kind and considerate... I don't want to wait, I can't wait. I need you, Sara... I love you." Crystal expressed the rest of her emotions by kissing Sara passionately, her hands returning to the brunette's belt. Sara used her arms to hold her above the blonde, the passion weakening her strength, turning her toned arms to goo. Her eyes closed involuntarily, her breath coming out in pants as Crystal sucked on the hollow of her throat.

The sound of her button popping open and her zipper going down caused Sara's eyes to pop open. Sara pulled Crystal's hands away, moving the blonde up further onto the dark red comforter. She slowly opened the buttons of Crystal's blouse, following the material sliding down the blonde's beautiful body with light kisses and nips. Afterwards, the brunette tossed the shirt over her shoulder, turning her full attention to unhooking the clasp of the young woman's blue silk bra.

Crystal moaned loudly as Sara pulled the bra off of her, lavishing her breasts with attentive lips and massaging hands. Sara settled herself between the blonde's legs, continuing her way down Crystal's toned stomach, dipping her tongue into the bar-studded bellybutton while her hands worked the skirt down the younger woman's smooth legs. After the skirt was discarded, Sara kissed her way back to Crystal's mouth, softly mapping out the blonde's body with her large, rough hands.

Soon, she felt Crystal tugging at her jeans again, trying to push the material down her hips. Sara pushed her hands away once again, pulling the blonde's thong off in a sweeping motion as she started to kiss downwards again. After some skilled teasing, she made her way down to Crystal's heated core, gazing up into the eyes of her love as she took the first lick. Crystal's head snapped back, a loud shriek emanating through the room. Sara grinned and continued lapping at the blonde's folds, nipping at her swollen nub as she pushed two fingers inside. The younger woman's shrieks and screams of love and choice words loudened, her fingers gripping at Sara's hair and the sheets of the bed.

With an incredibly loud scream, Crystal threw her head back as she came, her body clenching as release washed over her body. Sara slowly brought her down, cradling the blonde close to her chest as she panted into the collar of Sara's shirt.

"Sara...Oh...Honey that was amazing...No one's ever done that to me before... No one's ever focused on me. Oh Sara, you're a dream!" Crystal praised, kissing Sara's neck, holding on to the brunette's strong arms almost desperately. Sara growled playfully, nuzzling the blonde's hair.

"I hope this isn't a dream, because there's no way I'm getting up without you by my side. I love you too, Crystal..." Sara confessed, her unwavering gaze sending jolt-like shivers down the young woman's spine. The blonde leaned up and kissed Sara deeply, rolling the brunette onto her back. Crystal's hands made quick work of Sara's jeans and black, heart-covered briefs. Using her expert tongue, the blonde began probing and lapping at Sara's core, causing the brunette to groan quietly, obviously repressing her love noises.

Crystal would have none of that. With a few expert twirls of her tongue and the addition of two digits, the young woman was finally able to make Sara let out a loud growl, her spine arching off of the bed. Crystal continued her ministrations, going all out to make her lover release. Sara began to pant rapidly, her hands sneaking down to wrap in Crystal's hair. Within minutes, the brunette jerked upwards, snarling out a wisp of words as her body clenched in release. Crystal returned to the brunette's shoulder, settling in to the comfortable nook in Sara's neck.

"Wow," Sara deadpanned. Crystal burst into laughter, her breath tickling Sara's damp skin. Sara rubbed her hands up the blonde's smooth back. The brunette dropped light kisses over the crown of the young woman's head, turning them both into a spooning position. Crystal snuggled in, drawing up the deep red covers over their bodies. Sara kissed Crystal's ear, draping an arm over her protectively.

"Goodnight, love..." Sara mumbled sleepily. Crystal smiled to herself.

"Night, Sara."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned.**

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

Catherine sipped quietly at her coffee, the setting sun just visible from inside the lab's break room. Grissom sat across from her, engrossed in his newly found and adored leather-bound book. Greg was listening to his mp3 player, thumbing through the comics section of the daily paper. Sofia bounded into the break room, laughing like a lunatic. Catherine raised an eyebrow as Sofia ran to hide behind Grissom as Sara thundered into the room, a glare fixed on her face.

"You are so dead!" Sara snarled, trying to get around Grissom to Sofia. The detective pulled Grissom on his wheeled chair into the middle of the break room, constantly turning him between her and a very angry Sidle.

"Oh come on! It was funny!" Sofia giggled, still twisting and turning the poor, fuzzy-bearded Grissom around the room. Catherine chuckled softly from behind her coffee cup as Sara began to threaten Sofia with her cane.

"Yeah? Well we'll see how funny it is when I whoop your ass, you donut-eating ass-wipe!" Sara kept her tone dark, but the lack of obvious anger quickly undermined her threatening stature. The blonde detective howled in laughter as she continued to spin Grissom, who was looking more and more perturbed by the cycle. The fuzzy-faced man stood up suddenly, and dragged his chair back behind the coffee table, sitting down and resuming his reading. Sara grinned.

"Hi," Sofia yelped and bounded towards the couch as the brunette lunged in a vicious manner. The detective curled into the fetal position on the couch, her hands up over her head in hopes to survive. Just as Sara was about clog her one, a voice came from the doorway.

"Sara, put that down and leave Sofia alone, you're being a big bully," Crystal stated, swaying into the room. Catherine's jaw dropped. Crystal was dressed to kill. Her hair was left long and swaying around her shoulders, her eyes sharp and intelligent. She was wearing a low cut, button-up white blouse, and a pair of faded blue jeans that hugged her curves perfectly. Casual, yet incredibly sexy.

Sara sauntered over to Crystal, drawing the blonde by her hips towards her in a sweeping motion, capturing her lips in a tender kiss. The dark brunette was dressed in an opposite fashion. She wore a black, v-neck button up t-shirt left half-tucked in, and a pair of black slacks. Crystal settled her hands on her love's belt loops, grinning up at her.

"Now, what have I said about picking on Sofia?" Crystal chided, tapping her finger on Sara's nose. The CSI immediately tried to protest.

"But she put baking soda in my coffee! I have a right!" Sara exclaimed, looking between her blonde love and Sofia with an incredulous look on her face. The detective put on her best innocent face.

"No I didn't." Sara was about to go after Sofia again when Crystal giggled.

"Well, that settles it then. She didn't do it. Now, go sit down and work on your case, honey." Sara's left eye twitched, but she slumped onto the couch nonetheless. Sofia made a whipping motion and sound, grinning at the now crestfallen brunette. Sara growled from the back of her throat, effectively stopping Sofia's relentless teasing. Crystal sat down beside Sara, leaning in to her love. The brunette moved her arm to wrap around her, looking slightly less defeated. Grissom chuckled from behind his book.

"As soon as the guys get here, I'll explain the new case. By the way, Crystal, I put in your application, you should get a reply back within the next few days." Catherine raised her eyebrow, but kept her comments to herself. _Grissom got Crystal a job? Something is definitely up with these four... _Crystal broke into a huge smile, stretching from ear to ear.

"Really? Thank you very much!" Crystal exclaimed, curling further into Sara. The brunette yawned, dropping her head to rest on the back of the couch. Sofia was currently entertained by flipping a coin up in the air repeatedly. Nick and Warrick soon joined the group, rambling on about the latest new NFL video game. Grissom closed his book and turned to the group.

"Alright, gang, listen up. High profile case, so everyone's going to be working on it. A young man was just reported missing, about ten minutes before any of you came in. Darren Stairle was last seen at a bus stop three blocks from the Rampart casino in Henderson," Grissom explained, handing out a folder to the CSIs and Sofia.

"So what's so special about this Stairle guy?" Greg asked, rubbing his chin absently. Grissom sighed.

"Darren Stairle is the head of a street racing gang called the Cheetahs. In total, they cause roughly three billion dollars in damage to the city every year, and they earn at least two million dollars every six months through illegal street racing. Their rivals, the Hyenas, earn only one million dollars every six months. We think that they have either kidnapped or killed Stairle, which would give them nearly the same power as Sam Braun had," the fuzzy-bearded man explained, sliding over a picture of some of the gang symbols. 

"Street racing, eh?" Sara looked over the cars, recognizing a few from her riding sessions around town. Sofia pointed to a maroon coloured Hummer.

"That's the leader of the Hyenas. Robert Manchester, or Manny as they call him." Nick leaned back in his chair, scratching his shaved head.

"So, if this is so high profile, shouldn't we just leave this to the police?" Warrick nodded his head in agreement, drumming his fingers on the table. Grissom shook his head.

"Unfortunately, it gets more complicated. The sheriff wants us to gain enough evidence to put as many of each of these street racing groups away as possible. Once again, political pressure... These people are dangerous hustlers, and some of them participate in the prostitution racket started by the mafia Lorenzos. If we can gather the evidence, we can take down an organization that has enough power to run Vegas." Catherine whistled.

"The Lorenzos? Damn, Gris, this really is big... Explain to us exactly what you think we should be looking for... Gang-related evidence is sketchy, especially in a public area. Considering some of these people link back to attorneys in our own organization, getting the DA to feel safe enough to file is going to be a bitch," the strawberry blonde stated, leaning back in her chair.

"Well, in order to actually get any of this evidence to be plausible, we have to positively link them to the crooked attorneys. In order to do that, we need to find conclusive evidence, which is damn near impossible due to the public areas... Grissom, evidence won't put them in jail. But testimony will. I suggest we do as the beat cops do... Work from the bottom of their ranks, infiltrate and find a way in," the detective explained. Warrick sighed.

"One problem; we're not beat cops. As CSIs, we don't have the authority to do what you're suggesting..." The rest of the group grumbled as the truth of the matter set in. All eyes turned to the door as a deep voice was heard.

"Actually, you do. At least, now you do."

**TBC**

dun dun duuunnn...


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned.**

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

The group turned towards the doorway, staring slack-jawed at the woman standing there. She was dressed in a typical black business suit, her raven-coloured hair pulled into a ponytail so tight that the group felt the strain. The woman wasn't very tall, and held a frigid coldness to her eyes.

"And you are...?" Grissom asked, slightly annoyed at the seemingly random interruption. The woman flashed an FBI badge, which immediately switched the team into 'piss-off' mode.

"Agent Roll, FBI. We're taking jurisdiction on this case and we expect full cooperation during the investigation. The lab will be under our control until we can arrest the suspects." Sofia leaped up, slamming her hands on the table as her rage spiked. The crack of her hands on the table caused the frigid woman to jump slightly and the others to cringe, already knowing what was about to happen.

"You pompous little fuck, you can't take our case! This lab will not be commandeered by the FBI, and that's final!" Sofia yelled, glaring at Agent Roll from over the table. Agent Roll chuckled evilly.

"We'll see about that, Ms," the agent paused briefly to take a look at Sofia's badge, seeing 'Curtis' carved into the plate underneath her officer number of thirteen. Although the cold woman wanted the case, she knew better than to mess with a Curtis. She remembered meeting the mother of this detective, who was just as hot under the collar.

"The name's Curtis, if you haven't figured it out yet. Now get out of my lab." The air around the angry blonde was heated and felt like if you were to move it would shock you. Agent Roll backed up slightly.

"Fine. You have a week before we take full control. Until then, good luck, Curtis," With that, Agent Roll stomped out of the room, looking thoroughly pissed. Sofia took a few calming breaths before turning to the group. Sara had a slight grin on her face, while Crystal was clutching at the brunette's belt loops.

"Well, that went well. Now, let's set up a task force. I have a few officers I can call in to help us, and I'm pretty sure Sara does, too. Any qualms with me taking over, Grissom?" Grissom shook his head, his strange little smirk gracing his face. Nick raised his hand as if he was in school.

"Um, can I go to the bathroom before we start?" Warrick burst into laughter, doubling over beside Greg at Nick's innocent little voice. Sofia raised an eyebrow and motioned to the door.

"Sure, we'll wait…" the detective laughed out, grinning as Nick jumped up and sprinted to the door. In the meantime, Sofia rummaged around through the supply closet, finally finding what she needed. Pulling out a white board and a few markers, Sofia set to work on setting up the task force goals.

Nick returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a notepad complete with multicolored pens and markers. Catherine giggled under her hand, finding the Texan's enthusiasm entertaining. Sofia quickly scribbled some things on the board.

"Okay, here's how this is going to work. Nick and Warrick, I want you guys to find out everything you can about Stairle's family background. DNA, school history, old friends, ANYTHING. You guys okay with that?" Nick and Warrick nodded. The detective then turned to Grissom.

"Grissom and Greg will be at the scene. In the meantime, I need Sara, Catherine and Crystal to go over the gang relations. Car prices, VIN numbers, anything you can get. I'm sure Brass will be stopping by to give you ladies a hand, as well. Also, Sara, I need you to contact your old unit. We may need to do some 'business' if you catch my drift. Now, everyone take a marker. When you find something, summarize it on this board. GREEN IS MINE." Sofia growled out the last part as Greg went for the green marker. He immediately switched his direction and grabbed the pink marker.

Crystal reached over and grabbed the blue marker, which pleased Sara immensely. Blue was her favorite colour, after all. Not to wear, but to gaze at. Nick and Warrick grabbed the black marker and headed off towards the police station, intent on searching for some records. Crystal stood up, smoothing out the creases in her shirt. Sara stood up just as she did so, giving her ass a subtle pat. Crystal squeaked and stood up straight, sending her brunette love an evil glare.

_Oh great, a few hours with lovebirds. This is going to be productive… _Catherine thought to herself, sighing deeply. She then stood up, holding her head high and gathered her papers up, focusing on getting some work done. The group of women exited the door and headed towards the lab that had three computers. Flopping her things down on the table, Catherine sat down at the first computer, quickly logging in. Sara sat down in front of the second computer, logging in as well.

Crystal did something that shocked them both. With a few key strokes, she logged into the Medical Database of North America, something that Sara wasn't even sure she knew about before. After waiting a few moments, the intelligent blonde quickly typed in 'Stairle' and waited for the search to go through.

"Crystal... How did you get into the MDNA from a lab computer?" Sara asked slowly, intrigued at what her girlfriend had up her sleeve. Crystal shrugged.

"Honestly, I have no real idea. I just remembered a flash of something, so I decided to try it out. A password hit me like a ton of bricks, and now I'm in and have NO IDEA what I'm doing." Catherine raised her eyebrow. _How could you forget if you had access to the MDNA? Unless she had amnesia, I don't think… wait… Does she have amnesia? _

"Well, whatever the case, this might prove useful. Search on, love, search on," Sara finished, turning back to her computer. She typed in a few things, returning to her research. They would crack this case, without the help of the FBI.

* * *

Sofia's sharp blue eyes scanned the dark streets around her, searching for any disturbance in the dark alleys. Her training taught her to stick close to the main scene, which she was doing, but something caught her eye in the far corner.

"Jefferson, something's going on in the north corner. Let's go check it out," Sofia motioned, quickly pulling out her gun and following Jefferson towards the side street. Just as they turned the corner, bright lights flashed before their eyes. Sofia instinctively jumped upwards at the fast moving blur.

The last sight before her eyes was bright lights and then the world spinning to black.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned.**

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

A pair of icy blue eyes slowly slid open, temporarily blinded by a searing light. After a moment, the foggy eyes adjusted, and the world was revealed again. An almost calming beeping noise resonated throughout the room, the sound of squeaking wheels behind the thick glass. She could see the happy faces of her friends, except the one she wanted to see the most. Where was Sara?

One look in the eyes of Crystal told her exactly where she was. With a turn of her heavy head, Sofia managed to look to her right. How long had she been in this hospital, lying prone in a bed? As her vision focused again, she felt a thick bile raise into her throat and she let out a strangled gasp from underneath her oxygen mask.

There was Sara, lying in the bed next to her, bandages wrapped around her powerful arms and stuck to her intense face. Dried blood was everywhere on the bandages, the wounds thick and pulsating. The brunette was deathly still, the only sign of life being her steady breathing and the beeping of her heart monitor. Panic set in.

What happened? The last thing she remembered was looking into that side street and seeing a speeding light flying towards her. Then there was an immense pain in her shoulders and chest before a long sleep. The detective was confused and disoriented; nothing was making sense. So instead of trying to understand, she reached over, which took a lot of effort, to touch her friend's bruised hand.

The touch was small, just a reassurance that life still existed in her best friend. The blonde's eyes welled up with thick tears. What happened? Why was her friend in the hospital with her? Why couldn't anyone just come in and tell her what was going on? She was loosing her mind just thinking about it. Why wasn't Sara waking up, turning towards her and smiling like she always did? What the hell was going on?

A minute later she felt Brass's hand laid to rest on her shoulder. She turned to him slowly, regaining her strength as the passing minutes increased her adrenaline.

"Wha…….What happened?" the injured detective croaked quietly, her eyes thick with unshed tears. Brass sighed deeply, a look of pain gracing his face.

"You've been in a coma for two weeks, kiddo. A lot happened. After Manny ran you down in the side street, we brought you to the hospital. You have a broken shoulder blade, three cracked ribs, and you punctured your left lung. They managed to stabilize you fairly quickly, and they've patched you up."

"…Sara…?" came the blonde's croaking voice again. Brass turned to the window, seeing the rest of the group there. Crystal's eyes were red and puffy, Catherine was openly sobbing. Greg, Nick, and Warrick were all holding in sobs, while Grissom was mute.

"She went after him. If it was up to the DA, she would be arrested for what she did. After seeing you in the hospital like this, we determined that someone was actually trying to kill you. Your house blowing up was a set up, but it went off too early. The burglar wasn't a burglar; his job was to wait until you settled in and kill you. Agent Roll wasn't agent Roll; she was another person working for Manny. If only we had seen this sooner, we would have been able to protect you…" Brass paused for a moment, looking over to the mangled brunette in the next bed.

"Sara joined the racing racket. She worked her way up in the ranks faster than we could catch her. Riots broke out because she was basically taking all of their money with ease. We didn't even know it was her, because of the speed she was going. I guess she made it to the top, because she got into contact with Robert Manchester, or Manny. There were others with her; army guys, some sort of special unit. I don't know more than that, other than there was a crash at a warehouse. We found her bleeding out at the scene. We also found Manny, dead from a shot to the back of his head. Ballistics says that it wasn't a bullet from her gun, so we really don't know what happened."

"Is….she…going to be….okay?" Sofia asked, her voice cracking again. Brass nodded.

"The internal injuries weren't bad, but she had seven shots in her upper abdomen and one in the back of her leg. We can't find the army guys, nor could we find any trace of where Stairle went. Apparently they were in league to get as much money as possible, but when the parents wouldn't cough up any money for his safe return, they decided to try something else. They kidnapped Crystal and Lindsey. Try as we might, we weren't able to negotiate. Sara didn't stick around long, and before we knew it, Crystal and Lindsey were returned, but Sara was nowhere to be found. I'm sorry, Sofia, but I don't know any more than that." Brass squeezed Sofia's good shoulder one more time before leaving the room.

Greg and Grissom entered the room together, sitting down beside Sofia. Greg was visibly shaking, while Grissom was once again mute.

"I guess we should start by telling you the beginning…

_It was really dark, I remember. We were dusting the phone booth near where Stairle was last seen when I heard you tell Jefferson that something was moving in the side street or alley. I looked up when I heard screeching tires and a loud thud. A sports car flew out of the side street and ran right over Jefferson before turning right down Albany Street towards the lights. They ran a red light and just kept going until I couldn't see them anymore. I got the license plate, AND-9N9._

We ran over to check if you were hurt, and I vaguely remember Grissom calling 911. When I saw you…you… You were lying on the ground, completely still. I freaked and flipped you over to check for injuries, but you were out cold. There was blood on the side of your head and some on your hands, and your ribs were out of place. The ambulance came quickly and took you away, and we processed the scene. It was terrifying, seeing you laying on the ground like that…You were completely still, barely breathing. I just wish we had stopped you from going to check it out. Jefferson's legs had been crushed.

_We came to the hospital right away after calling Sara. She was pacing around outside of the operating room, refusing to sit down or calm down. I told her what happened and she flipped out, kicked a chair across the room and stomped off. Crystal cringed as every footstep hit the ground. We were worried, Sofia. They told us you were stabilized, but in a coma. Sara didn't show up for another three days until she came in briefly to sit by your side. Crystal and Lindsey were kidnapped soon after. _

_The ransom note was for 10 million in cash; to be left at the street you were hit. Sara disappeared, and six hours later, Crystal and Lindsey were dropped off at the lab by Sara's Chrysler 300C. It looked scuffed up, scratched to hell by something. Sara just took off without a word to any of us. Lindsey said that Sara looked hurt, while Crystal told us that Sara was going after Manny. We tried to stop her, had every officer out there on patrol. Nothing seemed to work; Sara bulldozed right through everything, I'm surprised no one was really injured or killed, other than Manny. _

_There's still no sign of Stairle. Sara's been in the hospital beside you for the last six days. Manny died eight days after he hit you, and we have no idea who killed him. The gun found at the scene didn't match the bullets, and neither does Sara's gun. The military guys we spotted following Sara have completely vanished, and Ecklie's looking to fire her. I don't think he will, though; the Sheriff wants to give her an award for taking them down. The street racing racket has been torn apart, and the prostitution racket was exposed. The leader was Stairle, and he's nowhere to be found, either. _

Greg's explanation cleared some of the fog that was her memory, but Sofia was still slightly confused. She knew that there were some big holes in what was going on.

"Army guys… I remember her telling me that she was in a special unit when she was younger… Maybe those are the guys… I guess we'll have to wait for Sara to wake up to hear what happened when she left…" Sofia was slowly regaining strength, though she felt incredibly tired.

"Sleep well, Sofia. We'll find out the whole truth," Grissom spoke quietly.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned. And I was on a short vacation, so nyah. **

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."

* * *

_**

Sofia opened her eyes a few hours later, the pain down to only a throbbing. The blonde detective reached for the rails of her bed and pulled herself into a sitting position, feeling better than she had in the earlier hours. She looked over her body, finding that many of the IV tubes and breathing pumps had been removed. She still looked slightly thin and ghostly pale, but it looked as if she was healing. Sofia grabbed the glass of water on her bedside table and chugged it, grateful for the relief it brought to her raw throat.

As she placed the glass back down on the table, Sofia noticed the beautiful flowers on her table, along with many get well cards and a black teddy bear. The tall blonde grinned to herself. Her friends were sweeter than sugar at the best of times, and even the aging Brass had chipped in for the overly-adorable display. The detective turned towards her friend, her smile immediately dropping. Sara wasn't awake.

Sofia reached over to her sleeping companion, grasping her bruised and bandaged fingers with her own fingers. The brunette's eyebrows twitched, but no other sign of consciousness appeared. This was way too confusing. The detective's only memories of the past few days were little unclear blips of words and speech, trying desperately to tell her something. Piecing it together was a serious issue.

_I'll get…for this…not alone…finding a reason to…fighting... running… don't…follow…get them…_

_Sof…we don't know…way up… don't know how… please wake up… _

_She…waking up… left you here… I know who…Stairle… this is my… I have to… say sorry for me…_

Sofia shook her head, trying to clear the jumbled words. With a loud sigh she rubbed her eyes gently, her strength fluttering out again. The detective looked over to her friend once again, spotting the dark woman's left eye twitch open for a split second. Unless she was hallucinating, this was a damn good sign.

"Sara? Sara, are you awake?" Sofia asked softly, her voice cracking a few times. The rawness of her throat had returned as the tightening of her chest increased. Sara's fingers twitched around the blonde's hand, sending her a signal. The younger woman nearly cried out in joy.

"Oh thank god you're awake! I was beginning to think you weren't going to wake up… Now, open your eyes or I swear I'll steal your beer fridge," she threatened in a light manner. Within a few seconds, her friend's eyes slide open and attempted to glare at her.

"Not my beer fridge… Need that for beer…" Sara mumbled in an incoherent manner. Sofia giggled in the back of her throat. Her friend had a serious love for hops.

"Sara, you need to tell me what happened…" the blonde detective began, turning to face her friend again only to find the brunette drifting back into sleep.

"Later… sleep now…" and with that, Sara's eyes shut completely, though this time the sleep was accompanied by a soft snore. Sofia sighed and turned back towards the door, already bored of her current state of hospitalization. Luckily for her, Nick and Warrick soon entered the room baring large flower pots filled with colours that she probably couldn't even name.

"Hey girl, we're glad you're awake!" Warrick greeted, plopping the flowers down on the table beside the other batches. Sofia smiled weakly at the dark man.

"You just missed Sara, too. She was awake for a few seconds before she fell asleep again. Guys, I hate to cut this all short, but I need to know what happened. There are a lot of jumbled thoughts in my head and I can't set them straight without some help," Sofia's voice cracked again. Nick handed her another full glass of water, sitting down on a little chair beside her.

"Easy there, warrior, take it easy. I'm sure Greg told you about the first accident, right? Well, I'm here to fill in the details. Manny had a vendetta against your mother. I guess she busted him for possession and made an impression. Anyhow, he found out that she had a daughter; which is you. The guy who we found in your attic was actually supposed to lay low and kill you in your sleep, but you and Sara took care of that awfully quick. The explosion at your house was also meant to kill you. We've arrested the guys who put the bombs in. After those botched attempts, Manny decided to take things into his own hands…

_Manny grinned as he spotted the blonde detective coming towards the alley. His bright white teeth gleamed against his pale skin as he shifted gears. With an evil laugh, Manny let go of his breaks and took off at top speed, drilling over the officer and pummeling into the bitch detective's daughter. That'll show her to mess with the King._

"We found his car torn to shreds in the desert. It looks like there was a race and he finally lost, maybe even had to ditch his car there. A few miles away we found the main scene. Sara's Chrysler was on its side near the front, and there was a Hummer crashed up beside it. According to the tread marks, the Hummer slammed into the driver's side and sent both cars ricocheting away.

"The S.W.A.T team entered first and cleared the area before directing us to Sara. She was bleeding out underneath the frame of an almost completed Ford F150," Nick explained, trying not to think of Sara's body bleeding and torn up underneath the huge truck.

"And Manny?" Sofia asked, hoping that he got what was coming to him. Warrick rubbed his freshly shaved chin.

"We're actually not too sure. The bullets didn't match Sara's gun and the boot prints we found at the scene were all the same type of boot. A heavy duty army boot that Sara wears, plus eight other sizes of the same boot. The bullets are 9mm, but with the amount of shell casings that we found, it must have been from a machine gun type gun. We're thinking an M-15. All the evidence points to a military type hit," Warrick stated, eating a donut that he had bought on the way to the hospital. The cogs in Sofia's head began to turn.

"So who shot Sara?" she asked, looking up with her blue eyes, projecting a full attentive state. Nick handed her a plate of cookies.

"The bullets matched Manny's 9mm handgun. He shot her in the back of the leg to get her down. He kicked her in the ribs a few times and then shot her point blank in the chest and abdomen seven times. When they operated they found something… well… strange. She has a tattoo on the lower part of her abdomen, just below the normal jean line. Maybe you know what it means. A-285," Nick replied, showing Sofia a picture of Sara's lower abdomen. Above that was the newer bullet holes along with old, circular scars littered among her flesh.

"I think that's her military number, or some sort of identification code. She hasn't really told me much about her military years. Basically all I know was that she was in the Sumatran jungle from the time she was 19 to the time she was 23 or 24…" Sofia reminisced, thinking back to the conversation she had with Sara after she had seen a large scar on the brunette's lower back.

"_Woah, Sara, what happened to your back?" Sofia asked to a currently bent over Sara. The brunette turned around after finding the movie she wanted. _

"Nothing big, just an old military scar," she replied as if it were an everyday occurrence. Sofia blinked wide.

"_You were in the military? When?" the blonde asked, generally intrigued. Sara sighed, popping in the tape._

"_I was there from my 19th year to my 24th year. It's not really something I like to talk about, or something I'm technically allowed to talk about. SpecOps unit and all…" _

The sound of glass shattering and a door flying open brought Sofia out of her memory. Two men completely encased in black flew into the room armed with large pistols. The taller one aimed his gun at Sofia, ready to fire while the other looked to unload a shot at the now active Warrick and Nick.

A shot was fired.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned. And I was on a short vacation, so nyah. **

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

The tallest of the two men shrouded in black tumbled backwards and connected with the other, sending them both crashing through a seemingly random tray of hot hospital sustenance. Orderlies and security guards appeared through the door, immediately overtaking the two men, their weapons pulled away.

The shorter of the two men managed to get his pistol back before turning and shooting his partner in the head. He kicked out again and shot himself in the temple, adding a second blood pattern to the wall. Screams were heard from down the hallway; while silence reigned over the room, save for the heavy breathing of two CSIs, one detective, three orderlies and two security guards along with the shallow breathing of Sara.

Eight pairs of eyes watched as a blur of dark colour dodged out the window. Warrick ran to see what it was, but couldn't catch a glimpse of the mystery savior as he scuttled down a fire escape.

"Damn, that's one fast dude," Warrick exclaimed before seeing something at his feet. Using a pair of gloves he had in his back pocket, the dark man picked up a pair of dog tags securely fastened on an iron chain. As he turned it over in his hands, all the sound around him seemed to stop, including the screams of the orderlies for doctors and police, even though it was probably unnecessary now. Nick walked over to his long time friend, wondering what made the taller man's eyes widen in shock.

"Warrick, talk to me, what did you find?" Nick asked slowly. Warrick lifted the dog tags into the light.

"I think I found an all access pass into a world I don't particularly want to know about," Warrick stated cryptically, turning to face Sofia, who was also wondering about the tags as the two men were carted off.

"What do you mean, Warrick?" the blonde detective asked, looking between the still silent Sara and her taller companions. Nick looked at the tags and gasped.

"Warrick, tell me this is some sort of trick…" Nick mumbled, backing up as if he had been burned. Sofia felt her patience slip; why wouldn't they just tell her what was on the tags?

"Sara T. Sidle, number A-285719, Squad BoA-285, Sergeant. The other one says 1990 to a blank line and 19th sector command," Warrick rattled off, reading the tags directly. Sofia raised her eyebrow.

"What's so shocking about that? Anyone could have gotten her tags; maybe she threw them out and someone found them," the sharp detective reasoned, still slightly concerned about what was really going on.

"Sofia, it's caked in blood. I'll send a sample to the lab; with the way this is going, they might have tried to set Sara up. We also need an identification on those men; if a price is on your head, then we might want to put you in protection," Warrick explained, swabbing the tops of both tags. A groan emanated through the room.

"You won't get identification. Hell, you won't even get fingerprints. It'll all be underneath a classification entitled A-39 GOV. No prints, no DNA hits, nothing. Why do you think they killed each other?" Sara stated in a raspy, deep voice. Nick immediately jumped to her side.

"Hey, you're awake! Are you alright?" he exclaimed, leaning on the railing of her bed. Sara chuckled slightly at her 'brother'.

"Yes, I currently am awake. I heard someone say 'you can't go in there' from down the hallway and I woke up. I feel like shit; but I guess that's to be expected. As for my dog tags, don't think much about it. I already know who saved us, but I can't tell you who it is," the brunette continued, closing her eyes again. Warrick looked between the other people in the room before turning back to Sara.

"Why not?" he asked slowly in a hushed tone. Sara coughed once before laying her head back on the pillow.

"Because he's one of those who killed Manny, and I can't let you have them. I'm sorry; I do trust you, but now is definitely not the time." The group watched slowly as Sara fell back into a deep slumber, all wondering the meaning behind the words of their 'sister'.

"What are we going to do? I mean, Manny got what was coming to him. He tried to kill Sofia and Sara; obviously someone didn't like the way that rolled," Nick wondered aloud, sitting down in a chair. Sofia shrugged.

"For now, let's pretend we don't know that this man was one of those who killed Manny. Let's just pretend we don't even know that it was more than one for sure. I know it's not ethical, but this can't get out," Sofia offered, leaning back down in her bed. Warrick and Nick both nodded.

"Deal. We keep this between us until Sara is well enough to explain… For now, let's just deal with the two guys in black who just tried to kill us." Warrick tucked the dog tags in a plastic bag before stuffing them in his back pocket, and then disposed of his gloves. The swab went in his coat pocket just as the first dayshift CSI showed up. As Nick answered questions about the shooters, Warrick quickly and silently picked up the shell casing and tucked it in his jeans before turning back to the dayshift CSI.

The distraction worked.

Now what the hell were they going to do about the rest?

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned. And I was on a short vacation, so nyah. **

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

As the daytime CSIs worked away on processing the two dead men, Sofia observed very closely. She watched in confusion and shock as one of the CSIs pocketed one of the men's wallet that they found in their back pocket.

"Hey, ass-fuck! You better put that back," Sofia threatened, earning the attention of everyone awake in the room. The CSI stopped and turned to her with the typical deer in the headlights look. Warrick drew his gun and stared down the barrel, aiming at the red-headed woman. Nick noticed immediately that the woman was wearing a wig.

"And while you put it back, take off that wig. It really doesn't suit you," Nick added, also drawing his gun. Brass appeared at the doorway, his gun trained on the woman.

"Put it down, Agent Roll. Or should I say, Danielle Stairle," Brass commanded as his backup stood behind him at the door, heavy rifles in their hands. Danielle laughed and dropped the wallet, standing up with her hands in the air. The other CSI backed up against the wall, now knowing why the new girl was so strange. Warrick made a motion with his head, telling the CSI to get behind them. The man nodded and scuttled behind the two armed CSIs.

"I guess you figured it out. So what are you going to do? It's not like it matters," Danielle muttered. Brass smiled and waved his guys in, watching closely as they arrested her.

"Well, first you're going downtown." Sofia laughed gently at Brass's blunt methods. Soon, Danielle was carted off after one of the officers pulled a 9mm pistol out of her boot.

"Damn, Sofia. Someone wants you dead bad," Warrick stated, tucking his gun away. The blonde detective sighed and let her head drop back onto the pillow.

"Maybe I should get a high-tech security system…" the detective mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Nick picked up the wallet with a gloved hand, digging through it. Smiling, the Texan turned to his friends.

"For once, I'm glad Sara was wrong. We've got a driver's license and some sort of parking pass. Oh, and lookie here, three or four big bills!" Nick exclaimed, waving the items around. Sofia grinned.

"I don't need to tell you what you need to do. Print it and see if we can get around that government block she was talking about," the blonde turned to her said friend, watching the steady breathing of the brunette lull her into a daze. Before she could fully fall asleep, however, the loud creak of the coroner's gurney snapped her out of her daze. She watched silently as the men were carted off by the coroner.

"What the hell are we going to do? People are dying like crazy; anyone related to this is at risk," Nick asked quietly, sitting down at the bedside of Sara. Warrick ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know. Crystal and Catherine are absolutely destroyed over this… Grissom isn't talking, but I suppose that's the usual. Greg is running around like a chicken without a head looking for something to cheer them up, Ecklie is breathing down our necks and the sheriff is being a dick and not letting us get anywhere near the case," Warrick ranted angrily, slumping down beside Sofia. The weary detective sighed.

"We should make sure everyone is safe. Where is Crystal staying?" the blonde asked, suddenly worried about the young woman. She obviously was not someone in a good position, and without Sara she was a wreck.

"She's staying with Catherine and Lindsey. Apparently they sort of bonded over the course of the kidnapping," Nick answered, leaning on the guard rail of Sara's bed. Sofia slowly drifted off after mumbling something. A knock at the door earned the attention of the two conscious men. The calm doctor smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before walking towards them.

"Geez, you CSIs gain a lot of attention. We normally only get one or two crazies in a month let alone a day," the doctor smiled before checking Sofia's vitals. Warrick watched the doctor ease into routine and habit, her hands checking all of Sofia's sore spots.

"How is she doing?" the dark man asked quietly, interlacing his hands together. The doctor smiled and checked a few things off on the chart at the end of the detective's bed.

"Very well, considering what happened. Her ribs are finally healing and it appears that the bruising has decreased significantly. We fixed the lung, and judging by her voice and strength, it's healed over perfectly. I'm very glad to have helped her; she saved my daughter's life a few years ago. She might not remember, but I do," the doctor reported, walking over to Sara.

"This one is a little bit of a different story. She actually woke up halfway through the removal surgery. She's been so calm during this whole thing; she just looked up at our surgeon and told him to up the gas." The doctor stopped for a moment to brush some hair out of Sara's face before checking her intravenous tubes.

"Sara wasn't even fazed by the fact that she was bleeding out. We managed to patch up her eight bullet holes, but I'm slightly concerned about the amount of scar tissue that we found already there. She's been shot multiple times, at least ten years ago. It must have been a brutal experience, judging by the wound gauges. I'd say a heavy-caliber automatic, considering that the wounds are close together and fairly large. Here, come take a look, maybe you guys could figure this out," the woman motioned for Warrick to join in beside Nick.

She lifted Sara's hospital shirt up to her ribs, revealing a sculpted stomach riddled with bandages and old scars, along with the mysterious tattoo below her bellybutton. The doctor pointed to a line of scarred circles, running upwards and diagonally towards the center of Sara's stomach.

"Warrick, those look like the wounds we found on some of Manny's guards and associates at the first accident scene," Nick stated, pointing at the scars. Warrick pulled out his camera and snapped a few shots.

"It looks to be the same diameter, except maybe a little smaller because she's been alive to let it heal. The other shots look to be of a lighter caliber, like this one near the side," Warrick pointed out, gesturing towards the old scar on the side of Sara's stomach. It was located directly underneath a faint red line.

"We seriously have to find these military guys. They might have the key to solving what happened here," the Texan stated. The doctor sighed and put down her shirt, slowly rolling Sara onto her uninjured side.

"Maybe this will help," she said cryptically before lifting the back of Sara's shirt up. Warrick's jaw dropped.

"That's some serious ink," he mumbled, clicking a few pictures. On her back were tattooed eleven sets of dog tags, done in such away that it covered only the left side of her back. It was in black and white with the phrase 'I'll meet you there' done in cursive writing at the top over her shoulder. Nick whistled to himself.

"That must have taken a while," he stated, quickly writing down the names on the dog tags. Warrick snapped a few more pictures before helping the doctor roll Sara onto her back and adjust it so she was comfortable again.

"Nick, we can't leave them here alone. What if someone comes back to take them out? Again?" the tall man stated, sitting on a stool. Nick rubbed the back of his head, trying desperately to think of a solution.

"War, I don't trust anyone else here with them. Is there not someone we can call? Like, a bodyguard service or something?" the shorter man tried, also seating himself at a stool. Warrick shook his head.

"No way, we can't trust strangers with this. We're just going to have to-"

"Who's the motherless bitch who tried to pull a fast one this time!??!" came a booming voice from the door. Warrick and Nick turned just in time to see a thundering Mrs. Louise Curtis blast through the door to her daughter's side.

"Problem solved, dude." Warrick laughed gently at Nick's comment, knowing all the while that it was true.

"Hey, Mrs. Curtis, we were wondering-"

"I'll take care of things here; you just go and find the two-toed ass-fuck who tried to kill my girls! Go use my computer at the police department, here's the key to my office along with my password and username. Search up whatever you need, I'm positive you'll have access to all the files. Now go before I decide to shoot you!" Mrs. Curtis tossed Nick a key and a piece of paper before turning back to her 'girls'.

Warrick and Nick made their hasty retreat just as Catherine rounded the corner, holding a large vase filled with flowers of many colours. She nodded a hello as she made her way to the desk between Sara and Sofia, placing the vase on top. The strawberry blonde's eyes were wet and her cheeks were puffy, a sure sign that she had been crying. Gingerly, the elder woman reached out and took Sara's hand within her own, brushing her soft thumb over the rough knuckles of the brunette.

"You saved my daughter's life; you saved my friend's life. I don't think you know how much it… How much you mean to me, Sara. Thank you," Catherine choked on a sob before sitting down, leaning her head in her arm as she held fast to Sara's hand.

"Don't cry, you look nicer without tears running down your face," a raspy voice croaked out. Catherine's head snapped up as she heard the low, gravelly voice she knew so well.

"Sara?" she asked in disbelief, wondering if her mind had played a trick on her. The brunette opened her eyes and turned slightly to the side, cracking a grin with her split lip and bruised eyebrow.

"Hi," was her reply as she squeezed the blonde's hand lightly. The elder woman smiled wide, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said in relief, scooting closer to the bed. Sara shrugged.

"I'm okay. How are Crystal and Lindsey?" Sara asked quietly. Catherine smiled, leaning her forearms on the railing.

"Lindsey's doing great, she can't wait until she can come and visit you. Crystal is definitely shaken, but she comes here almost every day. She really loves you," Catherine forced out the last part, trying not to let her obvious disappointment show through. For once in her life, she lost at her own game, and it wasn't sitting well with her.

"That's good… Before I drift off, tell the guy's to talk to Lady Heather…" Sara mumbled before losing her strength and letting her eyes drift close. Catherine raised an eyebrow.

Lady Heather?

* * *

TBC 


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, MBInc! And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always give me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned. And I was on a short vacation, so nyah. **

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."_**

Catherine stepped up to the large, heavy iron doors of Lady Heather's domain, swallowing in the back of her throat and adjusting her business suit. She grabbed the brass knocker and knocked three times, already knowing that the security cameras had probably picked her up. The door creaked open, revealing none other than the hypnotic Lady Heather.

"I knew you'd come. Please, follow me to my private quarters." Lady Heather turned and left the door open, inviting the blonde to enter. Catherine followed the dark woman up a few sets of stairs and through a heavy oak door. The room was filled with medieval ornaments and oak décor, with thick red curtains and deep black couches. In the corner, Catherine noted a king-sized, satin-covered bed complete with veils.

"Have a seat," Lady Heather instructed, gesturing loosely to the couch. The blonde seated herself, subconsciously smoothing out the creases in her business shark skirt. Lady Heather sighed deeply, gazing out a large window into the night through the curtains.

"I think I may know why you're here," she began, turning to face her guest. Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"You know about Sara's attack?" Lady Heather looked shocked for a moment before regaining her composure.

"No, when did this happen?" Lady Heather asked, gliding over to her chair and seating herself in a fluid manner. Catherine choked on a sob before calming herself.

"About a week ago… Three weeks ago, Sofia was run over by a high-level street thug named Manny. Sara went AWOL, worked her way up the ranks of a street-racing gang just to get to him. About a week ago, we found her injured at a scene, and Manny was dead. Military guys are involved, there was another attempt on Sofia's life, and it's really been a mess. My daughter was kidnapped, along with my friend Crystal. Sara got them back and just disappeared again. She woke up today in the hospital, and she mentioned your name," Catherine trailed off, looking up at Lady Heather.

"I knew something was wrong…" Lady Heather mumbled, causing Catherine to raise her eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sitting up straighter. Lady Heather then did something Catherine did not expect. From her chest to her cheeks, Lady Heather flushed bright red, looking away and twiddling her thumbs together. Her blonde guest raised her eyebrow again, leaning close.

"Heather…Explain…" Catherine stated, not giving up on it. Lady Heather looked up and giggled slightly, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Well um… Sara was slightly… Distracted? Oh, who am I kidding, she came here all confused and disoriented. I let her work down from whatever high she was on and tried to get her to talk to me. She… Quite thoroughly fucked me! Not that I'm complaining, but now I know why she was a little off… All that stress must have knocked her for a loop," Lady Heather explained in a rushed outburst. Catherine's jaw hit the ground, and Lady Heather swore in that instant that flames rushed from the blonde's ears.

"SHE WHAT?!?!?" Lady Heather shrunk back in her chair, her eyes slightly wide. Catherine calmed down before she sat back, flattening her skirt. Lady Heather gulped slightly before attempting to explain.

"I wasn't aware you two were dating… She was really out of it, sick with worry and she… Well, she just did what she could to release some tension… I'm very sorry," the red-head apologized, once again fiddling with her thumbs. Catherine shook her head.

"We're not dating… Although I wish we were, she has a girlfriend named Crystal," the strawberry blonde clarified. Lady Heather sighed.

"I feel really bad for helping her cheat, but I don't think she realized what she was doing… And as much as she cares for this 'Crystal', she loves you," Lady Heather continued, draping a sweater over her shoulders. Catherine's blue eyes lit up before she realized what had just been suggested.

"I don't understand…" At seeing Lady Heather's second blush of the day, it clicked.

"She…" Lady Heather stopped her from finishing the thought.

"She called out your name more than once…"

"_Sara? Are you feeling any better?" Lady Heather asked, walking over to the prone brunette and handing her a cup of tea. Sara sat up from the couch, her hair drawn back in a loose ponytail. There were remnants of oil on her hands and splotches on her arms. Her eyes were still slightly red and her pupils were tiny. _

"_Thank you…" Sara mumbled, sipping at the tea. Lady Heather sat down beside her, brushing the brunette's soft hair with her hand. Sara turned her dark eyes towards the red-headed beauty, her eyes dropping to the woman's plump lips. _

_Lady Heather felt the heat of Sara's gaze on her, the tingling of her spine alerting her of some sort of attraction. Within seconds, the tea cup was discarded to the table and lips mashed together in a heat duel. Sara won the game of dominance, laying Heather back onto the couch and letting her hands wander. The red head moaned deeply, her hands reaching up to grab a fist of dark hair, keeping the woman above her exactly where she wanted her. _

_With a growl, Sara took possession of the woman below her, practically tearing off Lady Heather's button up dress and quickly disposing of her black-lace bra. The redhead's body arched upwards to meet the brunette's mouth in a heated duel, her moans hitching and echoing. She raked her fingernails down her possessor's back, causing Sara's head to snap back._

"_Catherine…"_

"But that doesn't make any sense, she practically hates me… Or at least I thought," Catherine mumbled, thinking over the circumstances. Lady Heather turned to her table and reached underneath, pulling out an envelope.

"Take this, she left it here." Catherine looked at the envelope warily before taking it.

"Did she mention anything about it?" the blonde asked, tucking it into her purse. Lady Heather smiled knowingly.

"She said you would be coming soon enough, and that I should mention the phrase 'Stairle and Copper'. I don't really know what that means," the red-head quoted, leaning back in her chair. Catherine huffed and rubbed her eyes.

"Why does she always have to be so cryptic?"

* * *

"Hey, Nick! You'll never believe what I found," Archie called out, waving the Texan over to the AV lab. Nick checked over his shoulder before scuttling in, leaning over the smaller man's shoulder.

"What's up, Archie?" he asked, waiting for the slightly hyper AV specialist to spit it out.

"I managed to drag and drop about twenty fully secured files from the CIA's military records. I got out before they even detected me, which worries me about the security of the nation… Here, check these out," Archie maximized a few screens, waiting for Nick to react.

"Oh my god… Is that Sara?" the slack-jawed Nick asked, unable to get over what he was seeing. The first picture was a head-shot of a fairly thin, lanky teenager, with dark brown eyes and hair. There was a piercing hardness to the teen that wasn't found in Sara these days, but it was certain who it was. Beside the first picture was a full body picture, an infantry uniform covering up any kindness that existed in the soldier. Directly below that was a list.

"Name, Sara T. Sidle. I wonder what the T stands for… DOB, 16/08/71 to father Judas Sidle, deceased, and mother Laura Sidle, imprisoned in '84. Damn, she was only thirteen years old! Blood type O, a medical record number way too long to read out… Soldier number A-285719. List of known relations, Celeste Viscount and… Oh my god… All of our names! Holy shit, they have all of our names! Her current address, her license plate number, her SIN number… Are they allowed to fucking do this!?" Nick exclaimed after rattling off part of the list. Archie shook his head.

"I'm not sure if Sara knows this is being done, but for some reason I think she led us to it. Before we found out about the kidnapping, Sara gave me the code CraVEan, told me it would come in handy. Evidently, it was the code to get into the files. Check this out," Archie explained before maximizing another screen.

"Sixteen names, all listed off based on a numbering system that I've never even heard of before. Every single one starts with A-285, the exact same as Sara's number… Archie, this might be the military group that's been acting alongside our little hero!" the Texan exclaimed, hitting the print button. Soon enough, over twenty full-colour pictures and files shot out of the printer where Nick stapled and hid them in a folder.

"Archie, this doesn't leave the room," Nick warned before walking out. Archie nodded before deleting all the files and wiping the drive clean.

"This is for you, Sara."

* * *

"_What's her status?" a deep voice asked, standing on the outside of the bright spotlight. The doctor sighed and scribbled on his clipboard. _

"_Thermo-analysis reveals a drop in temperature to almost hypothermic levels. Brain activity is elevated beyond all regulations and her heart rate is so slow I thought she was dead. Sir, she's surviving off of conditions that would kill any soldier," the doctor replied, looking over to the location of the voice with empathy-filled eyes. He still cared about her life, even if this monster only cared for her progress. _

"_Then figure out why she's surviving. We didn't send this one back just to have the project fail. Observe any fluctuation in brain functioning and report back to me before we begin the test phase. I want ALL variables controlled. Michael, don't let me down. I know it was hard for you to lose all of your team, including the project, but if she dies, you will suffer the loss," the voice commanded in a bureaucratic voice, the low drone echoing throughout the beeping of the monitors. Michael sighed as the man walked away._

"_Yes, Mr. Cravean… Oh Sara, I'm so sorry…"

* * *

_

Catherine jolted awake from her dream, shaking her head. What had made her dream of such a thing? With another shake of her head, the blonde laid her head back down on the pillow, wiping away a thin layer of sweat from her forehead. Her mind kicked into overdrive, and she knew that sleep would evade her. _Who the hell are Mr. Cravean and Michael? And why am I dreaming of them and Sara?_

_Stairle and Copper… _

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, **MBInc!** And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always gives me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned. **

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"**_You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."

* * *

_**

"Hey Archie, I need you to do something for me on the down-low," Catherine said as she rounded the AV lab corner, quickly doing a shoulder check for Ecklie. The lab-tech pulled up a few different search engines.

"Did Nick give you the files we printed out?" Archie asked, turning to the blonde. She shook her head and sat down beside her friend after closing the door. Archie handed her a thick stack of papers.

"This is everything Nick and I found about Sara's past experience in the military. Team members, battle statistics, time served, you name it. We also found a disturbingly well-kept list of everyone she knows, everything she owns, etcetera. I suggest you look it over. Anyway, what do you need?" Catherine quickly tucked the papers into her purse, which was of an abnormally large size.

"I need you to cross-reference the words 'Stairle' and 'Copper' with anything we already know. I also need you to look up 'Cravean', possibly a general or an operator of some sort of experimentation process. I think it's military. Also, look for a 'Michael' in relation to Sara," the blonde rattled off, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. After a few moments, the computer beeped.

"Wow, nice guesses Cath. Here we go… Stairle and Copper is a medical research program based here in Vegas. The owners are Robert. D. Stairle and Dr. Edward Copper. They have three or four offices around Vegas and at least fifty more in California. The company was founded in 1980. I wonder what they experiment on. It doesn't give a list, so it might be classified or government-related. Robert Stairle is apparently in Jamaica right now, while the doctor is still keeping the business running here," Archie rattled off, quickly printing off the information. Once again, Catherine stuffed her purse with more information.

"Okay, that's good… I'll be questioning them later. Now cross-reference C-r-a-v-e-a-n." Archie looked at the blonde with a perplexed look on his face.

"Cath, Cravean was the password to get the military files. Maybe that's what Sara was trying to tell you." Catherine shook her head.

"No, Sara didn't tell me about that word. I know it's going to sound strange, but I had a dream and I heard that name. Search it for me, please." The lab-tech nodded before bringing up a new search. The computer took a while, but finally bleeped.

"Here we go. Walton Cravean lives in the subdivision 'Henderson' of Vegas. According to this, he's donated over 12.3 million dollars to Stairle and Copper, and 0.7 million to the military. Seems like a philanthropist. And get this, he was in the same category as Sara was for the military, but this says he came back early for 'survival' reasons. Jesus… Out of Sara's squad, only four people survived out of sixteen, including her and Walton. Apparently he's a navigation specialist, now retired. I wonder how he earns a net worth of so much money," Archie listed off. Catherine raised her eyebrow.

"Arch, I'm not sure if that seems right. I think he's behind some sort of research… Type in 'Project' and scan through the file. I have a theory but I need more evidence." Archie nodded and quickly searched.

"Project Tigris 285. Dammit, the file's locked. Gimme a minute…" Archie trailed off, typing rapidly in a console. After a few tries, the file opened.

"Oh my god…" Catherine gasped, staring at the first picture on file. Archie quickly hit the print key, knowing they didn't have a lot of time.

"What is this? 'Project Tigris 285 has been discontinued due to lack of sufficient funding. As of 1994, monitoring of the subject should be discontinued, however tempting.' I guess they didn't listen," Catherine read, here eyes flickering over the page. Archie quickly clicked on another link, printing it out.

"We don't have much time, I think we've been noticed as a blip!" the lab tech muttered frantically, continuing to scan the pages and print them out. Catherine looked over her shoulder nervously, resisting the urge to bite her fingernail. As the final page flickered out, Archie hit escape, leaving just as the red bar struck 'WARNING'. They had just missed being detected on the security system.

"Is that who I think it is?" Catherine nodded, staring into the hard eyes of Sara Sidle, age twenty-two.

"I'll go through this, see if I can find anything about a Michael. I don't think I have to tell you to cover your tracks," the blonde finished, standing up and walking out of the lab, a determined look on her face. Brushing by Ecklie and a few other random officials, she headed straight for her office, locking the door behind her. Picking up the papers, she grabbed a highlighter and set to work.

* * *

Sofia choked on a growl as the doctor prodded her ribs again, hitting a particularly sore spot.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Curtis, but it has to be done," the doctor cooed, checking the other injuries. The blonde detective chuckled dryly, running her hand through her hair.

"Whatever clears me enough so I can go home and wash properly," she joked, looking over to her friend in the other bed. Sara grinned from her prone position, watching as the doctor helped Sofia stand.

"Cover your ass, Sofia," the brunette chuckled. Sofia immediately grabbed the back of her hospital gown and closed it.

"Damn hospitals… Glad I'm getting out. When are they clearing you?" Sara shrugged, prodding her bandages.

"I guess whenever they want… I'm pretty sure I'm getting close to being healed, but I don't think they believe me," Sara stated, checking under her bandages. It looked okay to her, just not to the doctors.

"Alright, I'm gonna head out then. Stay alive, eh?" the detective waved goodbye, making her way out of the room and towards a changing area. Sara sighed and laid her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes. _I wonder if Catherine will figure it out… Good luck to Crystal if she does.

* * *

_

Crystal was awakened from her nap on the couch by a thundering slam of the door. Turning towards the kitchen, the blonde gasped as her friend as of late stormed through the room, a glare aimed right at her.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" Catherine yelled, invading Crystal's space and getting into her face. Crystal blinked, very confused.

"What are you talking about, Catherine?" She asked, taking a few steps back. The angry woman tossed down a stack of papers.

"Cut the crap. You must have had some idea of who you are, because this whole thing is linked DIRECTLY to you!" Crystal was taken aback by the vicious tone of her friend.

"Catherine, I don't know what to tell you. The last thing I remember of my past life was waking up on the side of the road with glass in my head. I don't know what's making you so angry." Catherine let out a breath, running her hand through her strawberry tresses.

"Crystal, your father's name is Dr. Edward Copper. You were enrolled in medical school when you suddenly dropped out and disappeared. Any idea why?" Crystal raised her eyebrow, sitting down on the couch. Shaking her head lightly, she attempted to clear the fog. It made sense. She knew how to get into the MDNA, and she knew how to break down chemical compounds. She knew the inner workings of the human body like the back of her hand and she was very skilled with a scalpel.

"I don't know… What you're saying makes sense, but I can't remember any of it other than bits and pieces… I'm so sorry, Catherine, I'm useless without my memory," Crystal said as she dropped her head into her hands. Catherine sighed and sat down beside the crestfallen blonde, placing her hand on the younger woman's knee.

"Hey, chin up, girl. We'll figure this out. Sometimes amnesia sufferers have triggers. I'm going to ask you a couple of questions. If you remember anything, no matter how stupid it sounds, tell me, okay?" Crystal nodded, leaning back on the couch. The older woman shuffled through her giant purse, removing the papers. Crystal noted at least three different coloured highlighted pieces.

"Okay, let's start. Does the name Darren or Robert Stairle bring anything up?" Crystal closed her eyes, immediately hearing something.

"_Godammit, that son of a bitch Stairle invested AGAIN. Who the hell does he think he is, re-opening the project!? FUCK!" _

"Yeah, I think my dad was yelling about it… Something about Stairle investing again and re-opening a project. He was basically ranting and swearing," Crystal explained, opening her eyes again. Catherine grinned.

"That makes sense… According to what I found, this 'Project' was NEVER supposed to be opened again. The subject nearly died on the table and Dr. Copper wanted to make sure they stayed alive… What about the name Michael Seraph?" Crystal shook her head.

"Nothing, sorry. Oh wait… I think he was a doctor in the office… If only I could remember what 'the office' was…" the blonde sighed, rubbing her eyes. Why couldn't she remember? This could be important. Catherine nodded.

"Alright, thanks Crystal. I'll ask more later." The strawberry blonde tucked her papers away, stretching.

CRASH!

"What the hell was that?!" Catherine yelled, grabbing her gun. Creeping upstairs, she burst into her daughter's room, performing a roll to clear the room. There she found Lindsey standing over a spilled plant pot.

"Don't shoot! Sorry about the pot, I was just trying to move it… Wow, I didn't know you could still roll!" Catherine scoffed at her daughter, placing her hands on her hips in a typical 'EXCUSE ME?!' fashion.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm very healthy! Ass." Lindsey's laughter followed Catherine down the hallway and back into the living room. Crystal grinned.

"Jumpy?"

"Ass."

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do own Crystal. And Jack's house...

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, **MBInc!** And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always gives me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

Oh, by the way, to anyone wondering what the pairing is... The only thing I can tell you for sure is that Sara is not getting hitched with a guy. Anything other than that is pretty much hearsay, because this is going to be one long ride of a story. **I'll probably take breaks in this story, because of the intensity. Be forewarned. **

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

"

* * *

_Sliding at a speed normally reserved for NASCAR racing vehicles, the Chrysler 300C tore around the corner of the building, diving down into a side street. Not able to make the turn, the pursuing Hummer crashed into a lamppost, tearing the metal from the ground and sending it smashing through a store window. _

"_FUCK!" the driver screamed, slamming his steering wheel and deployed airbag. He sighed and watched with distaste as more street cars whipped by him, intent on finishing before the elusive Chrysler. Meanwhile, Sara chuckled in her car, sliding around another corner and dodging around obstacles. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, causing her to drive just a touch faster. Performing a three-sixty, the Chrysler slid into a group of hyped up people, idling just long enough to collect her cash. _

Catherine sighed from the couch as the doorbell rang, forcing her to get up from a long nap. Stumbling sleepily over to the door, she placed her eye against the peephole. _Who the hell is that?!_

"Who is it?" the strawberry blonde called out, reaching towards her gun cabinet and unlocking it quickly, grabbing her 9mm. A deep voice called back.

"Ulrich Savage, a friend of Sara. Please, open the door, Mrs. Willows," the voice explained. Catherine warily swung open the door after clicking on the porch light and pointing her gun forward.

"How do I know you're not lying?" she demanded, squaring her shoulders and locking her elbows. Ulrich put his hands up, showing a great smile.

"She told me you'd be spunky. I know it may be difficult to trust me but I've only come to help you. My partner's name is Michael Seraphin; we were in Sara's military group. Could I come in before your nosy neighbour calls the cops?" Ulrich was around six feet tall with short dirty blond hair and deep blue eyes. His tanned skinned almost blended in with his military uniform. On the front pocket of the uniform gleamed many stars and bangles; from his neck hung a set of dog tags and a rosary. Catherine nodded and stepped back, allowing the tall man to step inside.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Willows. Here, take these as a sign of my appreciation," Ulrich said, handing Catherine a large pink box. She raised her eyebrows as she opened the lid.

"Three and a half honey dipped and one sprinkles donut?" Ulrich went bright red before sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, it was a little difficult to get here without a car and I sort of got hungry along the way…" The strawberry blonde laughed before placing the donuts on the kitchen table, still slightly wary of the newcomer.

"It's the thought that counts, so thank you. How did Sara contact you?" Catherine asked, seating herself at the table. Ulrich took off his boots before sitting down as well.

"Michael, Sara and I have kept in contact for more than seventeen years, so it was easy for her to track me down. I know it's difficult to explain or make sense of, but this whole thing had to be done in order to protect her and the ones around her. I'm not even sure if it's over; that last attempt on Sofia Curtis's life confirmed that. I assure you, my only goal is to protect, not to hinder," the dark man explained, folding his hands in front of him over the table. Catherine nodded, beginning to work through the puzzle in her mind.

"Coffee?"

"Yes, thank you," the man replied, reaching into his back pocket at taking out a bundle of letters. Catherine eyed his hands carefully; they were deeply tanned and freshly scarred, indicating some sort of struggle.

"Do you need any antiseptic for your hand?" she mentioned offhand, leaning near the sink, where she knew she hadn't finished washing a fairly large knife. Ulrich nodded, unbundling the letters.

"That would be very nice, actually. They still hurt from the incident with Manny's henchmen. Here, these are the correspondence letters I've shared with Michael for the past few months. What you're about to hear has been told to no one outside of our group since 1995," Ulrich explained as he handed Catherine the letters. After handing the man some iodine and gauze wraps, the CSI took one of the letters and began to read. As she did, her eyes widened.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked, dropping the letter and staring in shock. Ulrich nodded.

"Yes, it is. The Tigris Project was reopened. Originally, it was an observational, data-gathering mission based on the psychological effects of isolation in war. When the three of us survived, the project was supposed to have been discontinued, though the data was salvaged. Michael was our medic; he had to patch Captain up multiple times during the war. We lost many people, good people, but I suppose we survived for a reason," he began, taking a deep sigh. Catherine slapped the table violently, standing up in a rush.

"How can they do this? It goes against all human rights and is completely illegal! We've got to stop this, bring the public in-"

"We can't," Ulrich interjected, folding the letter back into its envelope.

"Why the hell not?!" Catherine shouted, pacing around the kitchen.

"Because Sofia is still at risk of an attack. With the death of Manny by one of our soldiers, we have no idea why he wanted her dead so badly. There was a reason beside her mother being such a prestigious captain. That woman, Crystal, is also at risk. Her father is the co-founder of the project. Although he warranted it to be shut down, his partner must have started it again," Ulrich finished, reaching over and grabbing a donut.

"Dammit. Well then what the hell are we going to do? I can't just leave Sara's fate hanging in the balance of a corrupted military service or a street gang," the blonde said as she sat down, running a hand through her thick hair. Ulrich shrugged.

"I'm not too sure, that's why I came to you. With your team's help, I'm positive we can expose the program, or at least stop it. Like before, I can call upon my team to perform raids, no questions asked." Catherine leaned back, crossing her arms.

"So, you got your team, under Sara's orders, to kill Manny and his henchmen?" Ulrich nodded.

"Yes, but originally it wasn't supposed to happen. Sara chased Manny to the warehouse, intent on lugging him into jail. Unfortunately, it was an ambush. We were her backup; and we're also the clean up. Please, Mrs. Willows, we need to help Sara. She's not a bad person; she just has a tendency to take the law into her own hands," the man bargained, chomping away on the donut. Catherine sighed, grabbing a donut to go with her coffee.

"Alright, I believe you. Sofia's already out of the hospital; are you guys guarding her?" she asked, taking a bite out of the sugary treat.

"Yes. I have three of my best soldiers circling her condo. Captain's going to be released tomorrow; we'll pick her up and either bring her back to her apartment or back here. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm assuming Sara is Captain?" Catherine replied, a slight smile on her face. Ulrich nodded.

"It's been twelve years since we've parted and I still haven't gotten out of the habit of calling her Captain. A great leader; quiet, but she knew what she was doing. If our team had just simply listened to her, they would have survived," he explained, cleaning off his hands. Catherine leaned forward, an interested look in her eyes.

"Tell me more about Sara. I've worked with her for almost seven years and I still don't understand anything about her. She's dark yet she's funny; she's filled with hatred yet she's caring. She's a member of law enforcement and yet she's done illegal acts. Why?" The soldier sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"When we began as a squad of sixteen people, Sara was immediately assigned as Captain for two reasons. She was cold and, to some degree, a mute. There are preliminary tests you have to go through in order to be selected for such a mission. On the technical side, she was perfect; there was no obstacle that she couldn't breeze through. It was like it was nothing new. We couldn't believe this woman could whoop our asses or shoot so well. The perfect soldier was a silent, lanky teen girl.

"The burning question on all our minds was where she had come from. Nobody knew anything about her; she was silent and wouldn't respond to questions from anyone but her superiors. When we were assembled and the rankings were chosen, one guy was so angry that she was chosen, he tried to attack her," Ulrich told, pausing for a moment. Catherine's jaw dropped slightly.

"So she was completely mute? I wouldn't expect that from her; she's so opinionated. What happened?" Catherine mused, leaning forward in her seat. Ulrich laughed lightly, a grin spreading wide on his face.

"When he lunged, she grabbed his hand, flipped him onto his stomach and stepped on his back. She turned to us and started squeezing his hand, never breaking her stare. In a really calm voice and a faint grin, she said 'Does anyone else have something to say?' It was the first time we heard her speak, and it was the only thing we needed to affirm her command. The guy was sent home sobbing; she broke his hand."

"That sounds like Sara; rough and stubborn. I'm just wondering why she was mute," the blonde said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"We did for a long while. Had conversations, not exactly private, about our leader at night around the fire. She never sat with us; always hung around the outskirts to get the lay of the land. When she did speak, it was quiet and to the point; there was never a word said that was meaningless. She would NEVER repeat her command; if you weren't listening, you didn't get the instruction. The only time she made an exception to her repetition rule was when a bomb exploded during her orders," Ulrich explained, recalling the events. Catherine's eyes widened.

"A bomb? Were you in the Middle East area?" Ulrich shook his head, brushing at his collar slightly.

"Sort of; we were stationed in a remote area inside of the Sumatran jungle. Our mission was to open the area for further exploration and military occupation. Captain was against it; she wouldn't say much about her opinion or why. We were fighting against people in worse condition than we were in, and she HATED it. Only problem was that even if we didn't engage them, we were continuously attacked. Traps, bombs, natural selection… It was brutal. One wrong step and you could be sliced by a left-over Bouncing Betty or down in a ten-foot hole," Ulrich continued, leaning back in the chair.

"I had no idea she went through such an ordeal… Do you think she'd ever tell me about her past?"

"I highly doubt it… She shows very few emotions, from what I remember…" Catherine sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"She's changed a bit. We've had our share of big blow-outs, that's for sure. She keeps herself very distant most of the time," she stated, thinking back along the years. Ulrich nodded.

"I'm surprised she's not shell-shocked. A lot of things happened there, and it's hard not to take it home with you…" As Ulrich trailed off Catherine's phone began to ring. Grumbling, she took the receiver and prepared to bark at whoever was calling this late.

"Hello?"

"Catherine, you better get over here quick. Some big wig corporation guy wants to know where Sara is and he doesn't look happy!" Greg whispered on the other end. Catherine sighed.

"Shit, alright, I'll be there soon," she replied before hanging up.

"Apparently some guy is asking where Sara is; it might be Copper. Let's get moving, something tells me this isn't good," Catherine explained, grabbing her purse and gun before heading towards the door. Ulrich shoved another donut in his mouth before following her out.

* * *

"I'm getting sick of waiting, Investigator. Where is Sara Sidle?" the dark official asked. His black hair was graying near the temples and was slicked back to razor points. His face was shadowy and pale, with a long scar running from his right eye across his nose and down to his left jaw bone. Wearing a black suit with one white strip down the sleeve, the man was dressed for business. Surrounding him were two armed soldiers dressed in black gear and holding large M-16s.

"Sir, we can't tell you that until you identify yourself," Grissom repeated once more, standing his ground. Ecklie and the under sheriff had been notified of the situation, and the security guards were starting to close in, wary of the large weaponry that wasn't supposed to make it through the main door.

"Mr. Grissom, if you value your team's lives I suggest you tell me exactly where Sidle is. She's very valuable to my operation and it would be in your best interest to hand her over."

"Identify yourself and we'll see," Grissom snapped back, spotting Catherine and a large man thunder through the doors. Gun drawn, the strawberry blonde aimed.

"Walton Cravean, put your hands in the air. And tell your goons to drop their guns, too. All of them." Catherine shouted in a demanding tone. The man now identified as Walton laughed darkly, turning to face the angry blonde. For a second, she faltered; the man from her nightmare was standing in front of her, smirking in a sinister manner.

"What will you do if I don't?" Walton taunted, shooting icy daggers at the CSI. Ulrich raised his pistol higher, stepping into full view.

"We'll be required to use necessary force. Tell your men to put down their weapons; a federal building has no need for such things," he answered, catching Walton's attention. As recognition set in, he made a motion for the soldiers to place their weapons down.

"As you wish, General. But I still demand to know where Sidle is residing; my project must continue."

"The project was shut down the day after they returned home and was NEVER to be reopened. You breeched protocol and need to be disciplined; the coalition won't stand for such an atrocity," Ulrich snarled out, squaring his shoulders.

"Really? Then perhaps you can explain why they ordered the opening of the project based on new funding and information," Walton shot back, all too smug about the situation.

"I can." A voice resounded from the sidelines. Holding a pistol and a stack of papers, Crystal stood to the left of the stand-off. Walton raised his eyebrow.

"Stairle and Copper… I knew you'd be a problem." With a cheeky smile, Crystal stepped forward.

"Oh you bet I'm a problem. Project Tigris was opened up again for one specific reason; I wanted it opened. My father had once showed me the file; I knew I wanted to study the subject. Paranoia, fear, psychological scarring with no effect on the physical being; something was different. A perfect specimen for experimentation with stimuli… If you had read the file, Walton, you would have realized that instead of causing damage to Sara, you made her stronger. Leaving the team in the jungle without provisions was a harsh test, but there are just too many independent factors to get a clear result that answers the question…" Crystal rattled off, waving the pistol around unceremoniously.

"What question?" Grissom persuaded, signaling to the guards to prepare their weapons. Crystal grinned maliciously.

"Can there ever be a perfect soldier? No conscience, no morals, no weaknesses and no objections. Just a ruthless, soulless killer. She was perfect, you know. Unfortunately, the bumbling of authorities has caused a severe change in her thought patterns; more specifically, it created a more complicated version of each one. After studying the preliminary and post-war brain scans, the molecular diversity has changed and multiplied. And the government called the data moot because of your mistakes," Crystal snapped at Walton, tossing the papers to the ground violently.

"I thought you couldn't remember anything… Why are you doing this?" Catherine asked, shocked that the sweet Crystal was in fact a ruthless scientist.

"You had to be lied to… I couldn't let you get in the way of my goal or Sara. At first, I didn't recognize her… but then I started to remember. Luckily she trusted me so much; soon, I had all the information that I needed. And I had some fun, too; twisted her around my finger. Perfect for even more research… The human is a complicated thing, but when they're so destroyed… They can be reshaped and molded to whatever you want them to be," Crystal finished her explanation, raising her gun and pointing at Walton.

"Crystal, don't do this; it's morally wrong!" Catherine tried, holding her hand open to the blonde. In a fraction of a second, she was staring down the barrel of the pistol.

"Do I look like I care?"

A single gunshot rang throughout the hall.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters.

**WARNING:** This story contains Graphic femmeslash; many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff! A shout out to my Smexy Dutchie Guitar Beta, **MBInc! **And thanks to everyone who reviews, your support and reviews always gives me a kick in the ass to get my ideas typed out quicker.

**I AM SORRY FOR THE HIATUS.**

I actually have no idea why I stopped writing. I think life just stepped in the way and shit a brick in my brain.

**Author:** Uriel Falcon

STIMULI CHAPTER 18

Within the echoes of the shot, the room fell into silence as Crystal dropped to the ground, clutching the hole in her chest. As her knees hit the floor three more shots were fired from distinctly different areas; a shell hit the ground under Ulrich's feet and the windows of the lab rattled as bullets passed through them. From outside the clear yelling of orders and shorthanded military codes rang out as loudly as the shots.

Catherine grabbed her ear after seeing Walton and his men go down; the high pitched ringing from Ulrich's magnum blurred out the sound. Only seconds passed before Sara burst through the door, followed shortly by a tall, dark-haired man in his forties. As the shock changed to panic in the lab people scrambled and dove for cover; screams were heard from the receptionists and the cleaning staff. Warrick and Nick kicked guns away and restrained the guards while Grissom helped the security guard cuff Walton.

"Call an ambulance, we need them alive!" he shouted, but not before making sure the weapon was moved to the side, being cautious as to not disturb evidence.

"Where the hell is Brass and backup?" Warrick yelled, still kneeling on top of the left guard. Nick shook his head, finally taking a moment to survey the scene. Two M16 rifles lay on the ground a few feet away; blood leaked onto the floor beneath the two guards and Walton. Crystal was hunched over in the center of the reception area; her white top was being soaked through with blood pouring from her chest. Sara stood tall over her, holding a D-Eagle pistol above Crystal's head.

"Do you still think there is a perfect soldier Crystal? Did you think I wouldn't find out who you are?" Sara growled. Crystal grinned up at Sara through the pain, and gave her best impression of a sweet and innocent girl.

"No ones ever said that to me before... Oh Sara, this must be a dream... You're so kind and considerate... I don't want to wait, I can't wait. I need you, Sara... I love you," she mocked, repeating the words she said before. Sara's eyes widened at first, then narrowed into slits as the anger took over.

"I should have known," she ground out before turning away to meet Catherine's shocked eyes.

"Sara?" she asked, holstering her pistol and still desperately clinging to one ear. She could faintly hear sirens in the distance.

"I should have stuck to my instinct. When I gave up on you, Catherine, I looked for love where I never should have. I wanted to protect you; I wanted to protect Sofia from this part of my life. I guess it didn't work, did it?" the brunette's words were gentle and filled with remorse. As the paramedics and SWAT team rushed into the room, blurs of their movement filled the blonde's eyes. Someone was shouting her name and before she knew it the soldiers were gone. Ulrich had grabbed Sara and fled outside, followed by the tall brunette.

"Wait!" she cried, turning quickly to run after them. A paramedic grabbed her arm and stopped her, asking about the blood from her ear. Catherine held up her bloody hand, confused at first. The loud burst of the weapon must have caused internal ear hemorrhaging, which meant she did need medical attention. The other medics were busy carting off and working on the four downed members; though they kept the handcuffs on them.

"This is Brass, requesting an immediate shut down of all streets and access to the LVPD crime lab," the elder detective yelled into the radio as he entered the crime lab.

"Brass, where is Sofia?" Warrick asked, standing up from his kneeling position on the ground as the guards were carried off.

"Sofia is still safe at home; I got confirmation from her mother only moments ago. What the hell happened here and where the hell is Sara going? She wouldn't stop when I asked and she sped off with two military-types!" Brass yelled, surveying the chaos in the reception area.

"I don't know. Those organized official types walked in here with M16's and asked for Sara; we believe it was Walton Cravean and his guards. Crystal showed up as well; turns out she is another of Stairle's siblings. She said she opened the Tigris project and knew that there was a perfect soldier. Before we knew it, a shot came from outside and hit her in the chest. The big guy with Catherine shot Cravean before two more rounds came from outside and took the guards down," Nick explained, pointing to the entry holes in the front windows.

"Catherine, who was that guy with you?" Grissom asked, holding a cloth to her ear. The blonde shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"He came to my door only a few hours ago, says his name is Ulrich Savage. He was a member of the same military group that Sara is a part of; and from what I know the same military group that took out Manny and the suspects that attempted to kill Sofia and Sara in the hospital room. From what he told me, they were also part of project Tigris. I've got no idea who the brunette is though, I've never seen him before," Catherine explained as best she could, the splitting headache finally hitting as the adrenaline wore off.

"Can we track where Sara is going? Should we even be trying to follow her?" Warrick suggested, wiping the sweat from his brow. The fuzzy-bearded Grissom shook his head.

"If we are going to have any semblance of control, we need to get this scene taped off and processed. I don't care who argues that we are too involved; we need to get close to this and seal it off. Nick and Warrick go clean up and process the scene. Greg, I need you to take Catherine to the hospital with Brass. I'm getting on the phone with Ecklie and finding out how these guys just walked into a federal building," he ordered before grabbing his cell phone and walking off towards his office.

* * *

"Captain?" Ulrich asked gently, reaching over and placing a hand on the lanky brunette's shoulder. The three of them stood tall atop Sara's apartment building's roof.

"Yes Ulrich," Sara responded, taking a long drag of her cigarette in the morning's light. The dirty blond shifted uncomfortably for a moment before coming to speak again.

"Are you going to be alright?" Ulrich said quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the silence on the roof top. Sara shrugged her shoulders before turning to the older brunette beside her.

"Michael, you're the doctor. Diagnosis is a broken-heart; does that heal easy?" she quipped before taking another long drag of her cigarette. Michael laughed, winking a blue eye in her direction.

"I promise it won't kill you before the cigarettes do," he responded, adjusting his eyeglasses before turning to face his companions. "What do we do now?"

"Well, the main threat is under wraps; Crystal has been exposed and Cravean will be in custody. Brass will make sure of that," Sara responded, tossing her cigarette of the side of the building. Ulrich took a deep breath and stretched his arms out above him.

"We should still keep up surveillance. At least on Sofia and Catherine until we know for sure the location of Edward Copper; he's still a major player in this game," Ulrich suggested, heading towards the stairs back into the building. Sara nodded her head and turned to Michael, shooting him a classic Sidle grin.

"So care to patch me up, Doc?" she laughed, giving him a slap on the back and leading him towards the door. The doctor laughed and shrugged his shoulders in a dismissive manner.

"I would need a degree in psychology to do that," he joked back as they stepped down the stairwell and out of the Vegas sunlight.


End file.
